Raj Kachroo, father of ragging victim Aman, claims HP govt did not pursue case properly

'They got away with murder'

Raj Kachroo, father of ragging victim Aman, claims HP govt did not pursue case properly

For 56-year-old Rajinder Kachroo, it's a losing battle that he is waging against a menace that affects millions of students across India.

Relatives & friends of Aman Kachroo participating in an anti-ragging
campaign in New Delhi file pic

Kachroo's son, 19-year-old Aman, was killed by his four seniors at a government medical college in Himachal Pradesh in March 2008 after subjecting him to intense physical torture in the name of ragging.
Though the wounds of his son's death are yet to heal Kachroo has been shocked ever since the alleged murderers of his son have been given bail by a local court in the hill state.

The Gurgaon-based retired government servant alleged that the Himachal Pradesh, the prosecuting agency, did not pursue the case properly.
"I am highly disappointed not because all the accused are out on bail but it will send out a wrong message. Anybody can get away with murder," Kachroo told MiD DAY.

He is particularly anguished at the role played by the government of Himachal Pradesh. He said he has nothing personal against the murderers of his son but the fact that they got bail in such a sensational killing would only "encourage" others like them.

Kachroo is also peeved at the government apathy towards victims of ragging. According to him, the toll-free helpline set up in July 2009 on Supreme Court instructions, has been a complete failure. Out of 1.5 lakh calls to the call center only 320 complaints were registered till December 2009. And only 178 out of those registered were attended to, an RTI plea revealed. The prosecution came only in 11 cases.

"The helpline has failed completely. We are now fighting for the bigger cause that there should be no more cases like that of Aman. But ever since Aman died, 12 ragging cases have been reported. The helpline sends an email to the vice-chancellor or hostel warden of the institution concerned once a complaint is lodged. Do they expect the authorities to check their mail in the middle of the night? They should be calling the authorities and the police," he said.

For the last one year Kachroo, claims to visit the UGC and the HRD Ministry everyday but "nothing is moving".
"The officials have even stopped responding to me. The peon says you are wasting your time. I get frustrated at times and even cry," said Kachroo, founder of Aman Movement for the Eradication of Ragging.
"What more can a common man do? I will continue my battle for justice to those who have to face ragging.

Ragged to death

Aman Kachroo (19), a first year MBBS student at Rajindra Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda (Kangra), was allegedly thrsahed by his seniors and he subsequently died on March 8, 2009. The state government not only ordered a magisterial inquiry into the cause of Aman's death but also passed the Anti Ragging Act, providing for stringent punishment in such cases.
The magisterial inquiry into the incident concluded that Aman Kachroo died due to injuries sustained in ragging on March 7 and also held the Principal of the College Suresh Sankhyan responsible for it.
The inquiry report pointed out that Kachroo was subjected to intense physical ragging in the early hours on March 7.
A fast track court granted bail to the four accused -- Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma - on Saturday. They had been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. Judge Purinder Vaidya released them on bail and asked them furnish a bond of Rs 50,000.

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