Panchkula, December 25
Haryana’s former DGP SPS Rathore may have been convicted for molesting Ruchika, yet the victim’s brother Ashu is still in a state of shock.

In fact, Ashu, on whom a series of criminal cases were slapped, allegedly at the behest of Rathore, is yet to overcome the trauma and the physical as well as mental torture he had undergone at the hands of Haryana police 16 years ago till Ruchika committed suicide on December 29, 1993.

“We would like Ashu tells the media every thing but he is not prepared to relive the hell he went through during last two decades. And that was the reason that I compelled my father-in-law to come out in the open so that people know each and every bit of their tale of woes”, his wife Kavita told The Tribune.

Though efforts to contact Ashu proved futile, his wife spoke for him. “A visibly upset Ashu now devotes most of his time in meditation in a bid to remain in proper frame of mind,” she informed.

In fact, the family was finding it hard to explain the bizarre happenings to their 11-year-old daughter.

“Ashu who was arrested, tortured, and humiliated in public wants to forget his past and it would be better if he is left alone with his family, including our 11-year-old daughter. To protect her from the present turmoil is our priority”, said Kavita, suggesting that the affidavit filed by Ashu in court could be gone through to know the story of his miseries.

The affidavit stated that it was around Diwali in 1993, when Ashu a (15-year-old teenager at that time) was arrested by Panchkula police on the charges of auto-lifting. Later, one day he was brought out of police statation and was taken to his house. He was told by Rathore that he should go and tell his sister to save him. He was beaten up mercilessly and he could not even walk properly. He was brought out from a gypsy in front of his house and paraded handcuffed in the whole lane and the police party kept on abusing his sister and father.

It probably affected Ruchika who was present there and she committed suicide after a few days of this incident, said the affidavit. This was not all.

According to statement of Ashu in the affidavit, before this, he was arrested eight times in 1993 and tortured in the police stations in presence of Rathore who used to direct the policemen to torture him till he gave up. He was even kept hungry and without any water for days together, said the affidavit.