Aman Kachru ragging case: Court to pronounce verdict Nov 11

DHARAMSALA - A court in this Himachal Pradesh town Saturday reserved its order in the 2009 ragging-to-death case of medical student Aman Kachru. The verdict will now be pronounced Nov 11.

After hearing the arguments of the prosecution and defence, Additional District and Sessions Judge Purinder Vaidya said that the judgement would be pronounced Nov 11.

Aman, 19, died March 8, 2009, after being allegedly ragged by final-year students - Ajay Verma, Naveen Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma - of Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital in Tanda, some 65 from here.

Special Public Prosecutor Jiwan Lal Sharma pleaded Saturday that Aman was brutally beaten up under the garb of ragging by his seniors and he succumbed to his injuries.

The defence, who concluded their arguments Friday, contended that Aman was a heart patient and that could be one of the reasons for his death.

Sharma said the court has recorded the statement of 38 witnesses, comprising doctors and police personnel and Aman’s father Rajendra Kachru during the trial.

Appearing in court for the first time in the case Aug 28 this year, Rajendra Kachru said his son spoke to him in detail about the incident of ragging that occurred in the college.

“Aman even told me that he had given in writing a complaint to college authorities regarding the (ragging) incident. Three to four hours after I got the phone call from Aman, somebody informed me on telephone from the college that he had passed away,” Rajendra Kachru told the court.

The prosecution said Kachru’s deposition was important as Aman’s roommate Ashish Saklani had already recorded his statement in the court that the victim spoke at length with his father about the ragging incident.

The court also re-examined two doctors - Harjeet Pal Singh of the ENT (ear, nose and throat) department, and D.P. Swami, assistant professor of forensic medicine department of the hospital.

Singh was on duty when he examined Aman’s ears a few hours after the ragging incident, while Swami conducted the post-mortem examination.

The trial court Aug 2 resumed the trial against the four students after they surrendered on cancellation of their bail by the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

The magisterial inquiry conducted by the state government into Aman’s death has concluded that he died due to ragging.

The inquiry report said many first-year students, including Aman, were subjected to intense physical ragging March 7, 2009.

“Kachru collapsed and died due to injuries which the post-mortem report has linked to the incident of ragging,” said the report, holding college principal Suresh Sankhyan, responsible for the lapses.

Sankhyan resigned from the post after the incident.

After Aman’s death, the state government passed an anti-ragging Act, making ragging a cognisable, non-bailable offence.

Any student convicted of an offence can be punished with up to three years jail or a fine of up to Rs.50,000 or both.