A six-member medical board comprising experts from AIIMS Bilaspur and Dr Rajendra Prasad Medical College and Hospital, Tanda, constituted to examine the treatment and medical circumstances surrounding the death of a 19-year-old student of Government College, Dharamsala, has submitted its report. This was confirmed by Kangra Superintendent of Police Ashok Rattan here today.
The SP said that a status report on the medical findings would be submitted before the District and Sessions Judge on February 13, the next date of hearing on the anticipatory bail applications filed by the accused assistant professor and three others.
He said further investigation was being carried out strictly in accordance with the law, based on the observations of the medical board and data extracted from the mobile phones of the victim and one of the accused. However, the SP declined to disclose the findings of the medical report, stating that the investigation was at a crucial stage and revealing details could affect its course.
The medical board examined over 1,000 pages of treatment records from multiple hospitals, including facilities in Pathankot, Ludhiana, Dharamsala, Kangra and Palampur. The objective was to analyse the course of treatment administered at various stages and to ascertain the exact cause of death.
While police officials did not officially disclose the report’s conclusions, sources said the victim had suffered from a severe lung infection days before her death, which may have contributed to the fatal outcome. The police stated that the medical report would play a crucial role in deciding further legal action, if any.
The 19-year-old student died on December 26 after undergoing nearly three months of medical treatment, amid allegations of ragging and physical, sexual and mental harassment. An FIR was registered at the Dharamsala police station against an assistant professor and three others. The victim had also recorded a video statement in October, a key piece of evidence, while lying in a hospital bed, visibly weak and distressed.
