Aman Kachroo’s father slams govt on ragging

New Delhi : The court judgement on Aman Kachroo is only a first step towards ending ragging in India, but the government is not serious about its eradication, said the father of the victim after a court found four students guilty in the case of Aman’s death in Himachal Pradesh.

“Good that the judgement has come. I think it is historic and it came within two years. It will set many precedents,” said Raj Kachroo from his Gurgaon residence after the verdict in a Dharamsala court in Himachal Pradesh.

“But justice for Aman will end when ragging ends. This is only a step towards ending ragging,” he said.

“The government has to play a role, it has not done enough to end ragging. The court did but not the government,” he said.

“We have to see that ragging is completely eradicated. But I am sorry that our executive [government] has let us down, they have failed to do small things even to prevent it,” he said.

A fast track court in Himachal Pradesh found guilty four medicine students who were allegedly held responsible for the death of Aman Kachroo, a victim of severe ragging in 2009.

They were, however, found guilty on charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The quantum of the sentence is yet to be delivered.

Nineteen-year-old Kachroo, who was a student, was ragged to death on the campus here in 2009.

Four MBBS students are facing the trial on murder charges for ragging the teenage student to death.

Kachroo, the first year MBBS student, was allegedly murdered by his drunk seniors on March 8, 2009 at the Dr. Rajender Prasad Government Medical College, Tanda, Himachal Pradesh.

The autopsy report had confirmed that Aman’s death was due to brain hemorrhage.

A committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, reported that the institution had no anti-ragging regulation, rampant alcoholism on the campus and lawlessness among the boarders leading to tragedies like Aman’s death.

The committee had also recommended action against the college principal as it found him lackadaisical in his approach to Aman’s complaints.

The court in August this year resumed the trial against the accused students after they surrendered on cancellation of their bail. The court has recorded statements of 38 witnesses, comprising doctors, police and Aman’s father Rajender Kachroo.