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Dharamsala (Himachal
Pradesh): A
court here Thursday held four medical students guilty of ragging
to death their junior Aman Kachru in March last year.
Ajay Verma, Naveen
Verma, Abhinav Verma and Mukul Sharma from the Rajendra Prasad
Medical College and Hospital in Tanda in Kangra district were
found guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder by
Additional District and Sessions Judge Purinder Vaidya.
After the judgment, Aman's father Rajendra Kachru said: "It's a
historic one but for me the matter will end only when ragging
stops across the country. It hardly matters to me whether they are
convicted under culpable homicide or murder charges."
Aman, 19, who did his schooling from DPS International in New
Delhi and was in the college since 2007, died March 8 last year
after he was ragged by the four drunk seniors.
The quantum of punishment against those who ragged him, leading to
his death, will be pronounced later in the day.
The prosecution is demanding higher punishment under Section 302
of the Indian Penal Code on charges of murder.
The prosecution pleaded that Aman was brutally beaten up under the
garb of ragging by his seniors and they should be convicted for
murder.
"The government may move the high court against the decision of
the trial court of convicting the students under culpable homicide
and not under charges of murder," Special Public Prosecutor Jiwan
Lal Sharma told IANS.
A day earlier, Rajendra Kachru, who is based in Gurgaon, had sent
an email to the media stating: "Prevention, not punishment, should
be the purpose of criminal justice. Punishment should be looked
upon as part of prevention rather than as an ‘emotional
compensation' or ‘an eye for an eye'."
He said Aman had written in his last note that "ragging must be
stopped". The campaign for justice for Aman will be over when his
wish will be fulfilled, he added.
The fast-track court had framed charges against the accused Aug
13, 2009, and reserved its verdict after hearing the arguments of
the prosecution and defence Oct 30 this year. During the trial the
court recorded the statements of 38 witnesses, comprising doctors,
police personnel and Rajendra Kachru.
Appearing in the court for the first time in the case Aug 28 this
year, Rajendra Kachru had said said his son spoke to him in detail
about the incident of ragging that took place March 6, 2009.
"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," Kachru
said.
The court also re-examined two doctors - Harjeet Pal Singh of the
ENT (ear, nose and throat) department, and D.P. Swami, associate
professor of forensic medicine department of the hospital. While
Singh had examined Aman's ears a few hours after the ragging
incident, Swami conducted the post-mortem examination.
The autopsy report confirmed the cause of death as neurogenic
shock due to ante-mortem head injury -- sub-arachnoid haemorrhage.
A Supreme Court appointed committee had also visited the college
and found rampant alcoholism on the campus and lack of
anti-ragging norms as the reason behind Aman's death.
The committee had recommended action against then college
principal Suresh Sankhyan, who resigned from the post after the
incident and was compulsorily retired by the government last
month, just a day before he was to officially retire Oct 31.
"Aman collapsed and died due to injuries which the post-mortem
report has linked to the incident of ragging," said a magisterial
inquiry by the state government, holding Sankhyan responsible for
the lapses.
The fast-track court Aug 2, 2010, resumed the trial against the
accused students after they surrendered on cancellation of their
bail by the Himachal Pradesh High Court.
After Aman's death, the state government passed an anti-ragging
legislation, making ragging a cognisable, non-bailable offence.
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