Nearly six years after a home guard was stabbed while trying to rescue a woman from an assault, a Muzaffarnagar court on Thursday sentenced the accused to death, observing that the killing of a law enforcement personnel strikes at the very foundation of public trust in the justice system.The case dates back to June 4, 2020, when home guard Ratiram was critically injured after being stabbed while trying to rescue a woman from an assault in Muzaffarnagar’s Budhana Mod area. (For representation)Additional district and sessions judge (fast track court-III) Ravi Kumar Diwakar awarded the death sentence, saying the police force is the backbone of society and that the murder of a law enforcer undermines public confidence in law and order.“The police force is the backbone of society. When a guardian of the law falls, it is not merely the loss of one life; it also shakes society’s faith in law and order. At such a time, it is the responsibility of the court to restore that confidence through its judgment,” the judge said while pronouncing the verdict.The case dates back to June 4, 2020, when home guard Ratiram was critically injured after being stabbed while trying to rescue a woman from an assault in Muzaffarnagar’s Budhana Mod area. He succumbed to injuries on October 4, 2020, after battling for nearly four months in hospital.According to the prosecution, led by additional district government counsel (ADGC) Kuldeep Kumar, Ratiram and constable Islam Ali, both attached to Kotwali Nagar police station, were on routine patrol when they heard cries for help from Dealer Wali Gali No. 3. They entered a house where they found Deepak allegedly assaulting his mother, Rajbala.When the two policemen intervened, Deepak allegedly attacked them with a knife, stabbing Ratiram in the abdomen with such force that his intestines protruded from the wound. He fled the scene immediately after the attack. Police arrested Deepak the following day and recovered the blood-stained knife used in the crime.Ratiram was rushed to Meerut Medical College, where he underwent prolonged treatment but succumbed four months later.During the trial, the prosecution examined 13 witnesses and relied on medical, forensic and documentary evidence. Finding the evidence credible, the court convicted Deepak and sentenced him to death.