B

Gang rape, sexual assault committed by a police officer, and offences perpetrated during communal/sectarian violence are explicitly listed under Section 5 of the POCSO Act 2012 as “aggravated penetrative sexual assault.” Mere commission of the act by threatening the victim, when none of the other aggravating circumstances are present, is not included in this list, so it is not classified as an aggravated offence under the Act [Bandewar et al., 2018, 29650498].