’Rathore is too powerful’

Ruchika's brother has gone underground. After being victimised by the former Haryana DGP he rarely shows up in public

'Rathore is too powerful'

Ruchika's brother has gone underground. After being victimised by the former Haryana DGP he rarely shows up in public

The visit to SC Girhotra's house in Panchkula Sector 12A on Tuesday was a disappointing one.

There were no cameras, jostling journalists or visitors. Instead two armed Haryana policemen stood guard at the gate apart from a Chevrolet Spark car. The brooding house stood out in the deserted surroundings.

And it wasn't for nothing.

For 19 years they have suffered in silence and are yet to break it. The family of slain teenager Ruchika Girhotra are yet to recover from the horror of her death and more so the fear psychosis imposed upon them by her alleged 'killers'.

"My husband - Ashu - has gone under hiding as he fears that he will be killed, a fear shared by other family members too," said Kavita Girhotra, Ruchika's sister-in-law.

"He (former Haryana DGP SPS Rahore, prime accused in the case) is a very powerful man. If he could victimise us for 19 years, there is no reason to believe that now, being cornered, he can eliminate us all," Kavita told MiD DAY, sitting at her rented accommodation in Sector 12A of Panchkula, Chandigarh.

She excused herself from giving a full interview and said she does not want to come into the spotlight.

Girhotras had to sell their house in Sector 6 and lived in Shimla and Kolkata ever since Ruchika committed suicide on December 28, 1993.

They rented the present house only five years ago. Ashu's whereabouts are still unknown and Kavita said he refrains from going in public places. People in the neighbourhood confirmed that they have not seen him for the past ten years.u00a0

Ashu runs a transport business on Haryana-Himachal border and operates mostly from his mobile phone, acquaintances told MiD DAY.

In the aftermath of the sensational molestation case of Ruchika, the Panchkula police registered 11 cases of auto theft against Ashu, almost all of them fabricated and lodged allegedly to pressure the Girhotra family into withdrawing the case against their boss, Rathore.

Ashu's 12-year-old daughter studies in a nearby school and has stopped going to school ever since the judgement in the case has been pronounced.

As Girhotras have secluded themselves, Ruchika's uncle Anand Prakash is handling the media and lawyers from his residence in Sector 6. Prakash often speaks over phone to detail Gihrotra family about the case and if an important matter comes up go and meet Ruchika's father who is a heart patient. "I decided to fight the case as it was my personal commitment to Ruchika. After the molestation incident she used to say that we have to teach him a lesson so that he could not ruin any other girls' life," said Prakash.

"It is a fight not just against Rathore, but the entire system," he said.

The retired chief engineer with Haryana government was himself threatened with transfers and suspension.

If Prakash is waging the battle in court, his daughter Aradhna has taken it to the streets with numerous candlelight vigils and media campaigns organised so far, to bring the guilty to book.

"It will not be an individual victory. It will be the victory for every girl who is victimised. We want to make sure that nobody has to face such an injustice in the future," said Aradhna.

To support Ruchika, send in your message tou00a0joinaradhna4ruchika@gmail.com

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