Ruchika Girhotra studied in Sacred Heart, one of Chandigarh's most prestigious schools. In 1990, she was in Class X when the then Inspector General of Police S P S Rathore molested her. Within weeks after her family filed a complaint, Ruchika was expelled from school.
Her family was told she had paid the fees late. But they were not convinced.
"Rathore used his influence. One day the Principal called me and told that we are removing her from the school. Don't send her to school any more," says Ruchika's father S C Girhotra.
The expulsion isolated Ruchika mentally and contributed to her depression. And most of her classmates knew nothing about it.
"We had heard that she was going abroad and we thought she has gone abroad after the incident, that's why she is not showing up and we had also heard that she had left school, that's it," says Geetanjali Giyatri, Ruchika's classmate and former student at the Sacred Heart School.
The school is keeping mum on why such action was taken against Ruchika, but say off the record that some disciplinary action was taken against her. However, they don't want to elaborate on that.
"We will be seeking action against the school also as to why she was expelled, what were the reasons, and under whose pressure it was done," says Ranjan Lakhanpal, a senior lawyer in Chandigarh.
"I think school should have taken a very responsible role in this case. You see without knowing the facts they were suppressed by the police force. Is that the way schools in our country going to run?" says Kirat Sodhi, a teacher at St Stephen's School, Chandigarh.
Imagine a girl in her mid-teens, molested, expelled from school, harassed and threatened by a supposed law keeper and repeatedly being denied justice. Pushed to the edge, Ruchika committed suicide three years later.
Her family was told she had paid the fees late. But they were not convinced.
"Rathore used his influence. One day the Principal called me and told that we are removing her from the school. Don't send her to school any more," says Ruchika's father S C Girhotra.
The expulsion isolated Ruchika mentally and contributed to her depression. And most of her classmates knew nothing about it.
"We had heard that she was going abroad and we thought she has gone abroad after the incident, that's why she is not showing up and we had also heard that she had left school, that's it," says Geetanjali Giyatri, Ruchika's classmate and former student at the Sacred Heart School.
The school is keeping mum on why such action was taken against Ruchika, but say off the record that some disciplinary action was taken against her. However, they don't want to elaborate on that.
"We will be seeking action against the school also as to why she was expelled, what were the reasons, and under whose pressure it was done," says Ranjan Lakhanpal, a senior lawyer in Chandigarh.
"I think school should have taken a very responsible role in this case. You see without knowing the facts they were suppressed by the police force. Is that the way schools in our country going to run?" says Kirat Sodhi, a teacher at St Stephen's School, Chandigarh.
Imagine a girl in her mid-teens, molested, expelled from school, harassed and threatened by a supposed law keeper and repeatedly being denied justice. Pushed to the edge, Ruchika committed suicide three years later.
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