Chandigarh:
SPS Rathore was on his way from a Chandigarh court to his car at lunch time. As usual, there were hundreds of reporters waiting outside to film the man who's accused of driving 17-year-old Ruchika Girhotra to her death, after molesting her.
The morning session in court had brought good news for Rathore, who has appealed against the six-month sentence given to him in December for molesting Girhotra (the abetment of suicide charges have been field in a separate case). Without either Girhotra or the prosecution asking for it, the judge had declared the trial in-camera or off-limits to the press.
Reporters were straining to get Rathore to respond to this development. When a young man holding a video camera lunged towards Rathore, witnesses thought this was an over-zealous cameraman.
And then suddenly, the 20-something cameraman who'd rushed forward began slashing Rathore's left cheek. Three cuts were made till a policeman standing behind Rathore managed to pin down the attacker, who would later be identified as a student. Amid the reporters doing live broadcasts for their news channels, Rathore was whisked away to hospital, holding a handkerchief to his face; there was blood on the ground where he had been standing.
The attacker was arrested immediately. While he was being questioned by the police, Rathore was treated for the wounds on his face. He returned to court with blood stains on his jacket.
The police says the attacker has been identified as Utsav Sharma, a 29-year-old student of the National Institute of Design, who allegedly has a psychological disorder. Sharma, who was enrolled for an animation course, is originally from Varanasi. The police believe the attack was pre-meditated.
"We had a talk with his parents. We have confirmed his identity. They have told us that he was studying in Ahmedabad and had a psychological problem. Investigations are on, in this regard. For the last one month, he was staying in Panchkula," said S S Srivastava, a Senior Superintendent of Police.
The youth was overpowered before he could cause any serious damage. But the attack was condemned widely, even by Ruchika's friends and family.
"Whatever happened was wrong, we regret it. Justice should be done only in courts," said Anand Prakash, father of Ruchika Girhotra's fried Aradhana.
"That's not the way to settle scores. One has to be tolerant. After all, law has to take its own course. Whatever the anguish is, you can't take law into your hands. Law should be allowed to take its course," said Union Law Minister Veerappa Moily.
Rathore was taken to the hospital with wounds on the face. But he was back in court, just a couple of hours later. The police say the attacker is under treatment for depression and a psychological disorder.
Rathore retired as Haryana's senior-most policeman in 2002. In addition to the case that resulted in a six-month sentence for him, Ruchika's family has filed new police cases against him which are being investigated by the CBI.
The most serious of these claims is that Rathore drove Ruchika to suicide in 1993, by harassing her family after she lodged her first complaint against him in 1990.
When Ruchika said that Rathore molested her, he was an Inspector General in the Haryana police. Although a police inquiry found him guilty in 1990, Rathore was promoted repeatedly.