By IANS,
New Delhi : Hundreds of people staged a protest march and held a candle-light vigil here Saturday to demand a speedy trial following the death of Aman Kachroo, a medical student, after he was ragged.
Emotions ran high as relatives and friends of Kachroo, 19, and their hundreds of supporters marched from the Jantar Mantar observatory near Connaught Place on the Parliament Street.
“I am thankful to everyone present here for their support. The movement for justice will continue not only for Aman, but also for other victims of ragging,” said an overwelhmed Rajender Kachroo, Aman’s father.
Aman Kachroo died March 8 after he was beaten in the name of ragging allegedy by four final-year students of his medical college in Himachal Pradesh. Police said he died of wounds in head and other parts of body.
Rajender Kachroo said he met Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium in the morning.
“He (Subramanium) assured me that he will be filing a contempt petition in the Supreme Court for Aman’s case to be moved in the fast-track mode, and that this case will serve as an exemplary one for future cases of ragging,” Kachroo said.
Aman Kachru, whose family originally hails from Jammu and Kashmir but is now settled in Gurgaon, was a brilliant student, family members said.
The four senior students involved in the incident have been arrested and booked for the crime. A magisterial probe has been ordered.
Neelam Katara, who fought hard for justice after her son Nitish was murdered, also participated in the protest march.
She said: “We can’t get anywhere by keeping quiet. Ragging should be given zero tolerance. There should be implementation of laws, and people must feel scared to commit a crime like ragging. This will happen only if it is deemed and considered a crime.”
The protesters also demanded the implementation of existing laws and passing of an anti-ragging law.
Pooja, a 22-year-old mass communication student, said: “Sadly this is not a stray case. Cases of students commiting suicide fearing ragging are all well known. The government must act.”
Pooja, like several others present, found out about the protest via the social netwoking site Facebook and joined the Justice for Aman Kachroo group, which currently has over 2,000 members worldwide.