Kachru death: Notices to 40 docs,two ex-principals

Former principal Dr S. Shankayan has already been suspended following orders of the Supreme Court,while hostel warden and manager were suspended immediately after Kachru’s death and before the magisterial inquiry was ordered. Chief warden Dr Ramesh Bharti,a professor of surgery,was also suspended a few days back.

Principal Secretary (Health) Deepak Sanan confirmed that separate notices have been sent to all the doctors who failed to perform their duties either as principals,hostel wardens and even members of the disciplinary committee at different times. The magisterial inquiry,which submitted its report on March 26,had listed details of cases that occurred before Kachru’s death since 2001,including the latest one.

The inquiry report has listed more than 10 specific cases of ragging brutalities and indiscipline in the college,beside nailing the guilty in Aman Kachru’s death. The doctors have been told in the notices to send their replies before April 23,failing which it shall be presumed that he/she have nothing to say in the matter and further action will follow without taking the reply into consideration,read the show-cause notices.

Former principal Dr N.K. Kaushik,who retired on February 28,2008; Dr J.R. Thakur,former principal of the college; Suman Yadav,professor of anatomy at RPMC,a senior warden of the girls’ hostel and member of the disciplinary committee between 2001 to 2004,and P.K. Kaundal,associate professor (pharmacology),senior warden (boys) hostel and member of the disciplinary committee between 2001 and 2006,and N.L. Sharma,a retired professor of dermatology are among those sent notices.

Enquiries reveal that the government has expedited action against the erring doctors in view of the Supreme Court having taken a serious view of the issue and had advised the Raghavan Committee to hold its inquiry into Aman Satya Kachru’s case.

The text of the notices points out at glaring lapses of the authorities to check ragging or treating it casually and even letting off the accused on different pretexts without awarding any exemplary punishments.

“It has been ascertained that ragging and indisciplinary acts by students were prevalent since inception of the college. The main reason for not complaining about the incidents of ragging was the apathy of the administration in dealing with the earlier reported cases,” say the notices.

The notices read that wardens of all hostels were complacent and passive. Their visits to hostels were few and far between.

The lenient and casual attitude of the principals,coupled with non-seriousness of hostel wardens and dismal system of security in hostels allowed the problem of ragging to grow out of proportions.

Junior boys were being treated as the subjects of sadistic pleasure by the seniors because of the inefficiency of the administration.