Behind the silence of Ruchika’s family,a tale of harassment lurks

Ruchika’s father,who stays in Sector 12 Panchkula,refused to come on record. “He is satisfied with the verdict and had tears in his eyes when I told him that Rathore had been convicted. He has still not come to terms with the loss of his daughter,” said Anand Parkash. Ruchika’s mother had expired much before the incident.

Harassed is too small a word to describe what the family went through these 19 years. Initially geared up to fight the case,the father and brother backed out,terrified with the chain of events that struck them one after the other. Ruchika was suspended from the Haryana Lawn Tennis Association,which was then headed by Rathore. In September 1990,her school expelled her without citing any reason. Her father sold their house at Panchkula and Ashu,who was also in his teens,had six cases of car theft slapped on him.

Ashu was arrested by the Crime Branch of Panchkula police in October 1993,allegedly at the behest of Rathore,and kept in illegal detention for over two months. He was allegedly forced to sign on blank papers,which were used by the police to show his “confessions” that he stole 11 cars. One day when he was still in illegal confinement,Ashu was allegedly taken to his house and beaten mercilessly. Rathore allegedly asked him to tell his sister that if she did not take back the complaint,her family will face the same action.

On December 28,1993,Ruchika consumed insecticide. She died the next day. She blamed herself for traumatising her family. The traumatised family left the state fearing more harassment. Ashu was acquitted by the court in all the cases later on.