Medical board submits report on death of Dharamsala college girl

The six-member medical board comprising experts of 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 Dharamsala Government College has submitted its report, the SP of Kangra Ashok Rattan confirmed here, today.

He said the status report on medical findings will be submitted before the District and Sessions’ Judge on February 13, the next date of hearing on the anticipatory bail applications of the alleged accused assistant professor and three others.

He said further investigation in the case was being carried out in accordance with the law on the basis of the review and observations made by the medical board and details extracted from the mobile phones of the victim and one of the alleged accused persons.

However, he refused to divulge the findings of the medical report saying that the investigation was at a crucial stage. It may affect the course of investigation.

The medical board examined detailed treatment records of the victim at various hospitals, spread in more than 1,000 pages. The treatment files from hospitals in Pathankot, Ludhiana, Dharamsala, Kangra and Palampur were collected and placed before the board for scrutiny.

The main objective of the medical board was to analyse the course of treatment administered at different stages and to ascertain the main cause of death.

Though, the police did not divulge any details of the findings of the medical board sources revealed that the victim suffered from severe infection in lungs days before his death, which may also have been one of the reasons behind her death. The police officials claimed that the medical report would play a crucial role in determining further legal action, if any.

The 19-year-old student of Government College, Dharamsala, died on December 26 after three months of medical treatment amid allegations of ragging and physical, sexual and mental harassment. An FIR was in this case was registered against an assistant professor and 3 others at the Dharamsala police station. The victim also recorded a video statement in October, a crucial evidence, while lying on a hospital bed, visibly weak and distressed.