Chandigarh, Dec. 29: Ruchika Girhotra’s father and brother today filed separate complaints against former top cop S.P.S. Rathore, demanding registration of fresh FIRs against their dead daughter’s convicted molester.
The complaints came amid indications the CBI might approach courts for including the charge of abetting suicide against the former Haryana police chief, who was sentenced to six months’ jail last week but granted bail.
Panchkula SP Maneesh Chaudhary confirmed receiving the complaints filed by Ruchika’s father Subhash Chander and brother Ashu.
“We have received the complaints and since the case is an old one, we are seeking legal opinion on it. We hope to take a decision tomorrow,” the officer said.
Late this evening, Haryana police registered an FIR, which means Rathore can be arrested now.
Ruchika, a budding tennis player, was 14 when Rathore allegedly molested her. She drank poison in December 1993, apparently unable to bear the harassment of her family following her complaint of molestation against the officer, then an inspector-general.
The complaints followed a silent march led by Ruchika’s friend Aradhana — the sole witness to the molestation — to Ruchika’s home today, the 16th anniversary of her death.
Sources privy to the complaints said Ruchika’s father claimed he had to beg an assistant sub-inspector to allow the post-mortem to be conducted a day after his daughter died.
“He (the officer) openly told me nothing would be done without a direction coming from Mr Rathore,” the source quoted the complaint as saying.
“On the entire night of 29.12.1993, I sat outside the mortuary…. On 30.12.1993, I touched the feet of the ASI to kindly hand over the dead body. He told me Sahib is trying to get the post-mortem (done).
“I… requested him to have mercy as I had already lost my daughter and my son was in the custody of Sector 6 police station at the instance of Rathore... he told me to shut up, otherwise my son would be eliminated,” the com- plaint said, according to the source.
“The police officials of Sector 6 moved an application for post-mortem at PGI. I remembered that the doctor… wanted the local SDM to be called… to carry out the inquest proceedings. Mr Rathore called up some senior doctor to bail out the dead body without adopting the procedure. After a while, the doctor on duty in order to wriggle out of the situation referred the dead body to General Hospital, Sector 16, Chandigarh, for post-mortem.”
Police sources said Ashu’s complaint gave a vivid account of the way he was tortured for not getting his sister to withdraw her complaint against Rathore.
The complaint said he was picked up on October 25, 1993, and taken to several police stations including one where Rathore was present.
“I was given third degree torture…. I was told that if I cared for my life, I should tell (my) sister to withdraw the complaint…. While going, he (Rathore) ordered the police officials to keep beating me till I agree and not to give me any food and water…. When I asked for water, the police officer in front of me urinated in a glass and asked me to drink that if I was thirsty.”
