Ruchika’s friend launches website on child abuse

CHANDIGARH - The lone eye-witness in the Ruchika Girhotra molestation case, Aradhna, who is fighting a legal battle to get justice for her best friend, Sunday launched a website to fight child abuse.

The website www.justice4ruchika.com aims at helping the distressed from any part of the world.

“Problem of child abuse has haunted our society for a long time. So far our government has not done anything substantial to control this evil. Therefore, it is our initiative to garner public support and to provide a platform for like-minded people to collectively fight this menace,” Aradhna told IANS Sunday.

She said that she was motivated to launch this website while fighting Ruchika’s case.

“People from all across the country can approach us if they need our guidance and help. The idea is to create awareness about our laws and social rights. We have already got some cases of molestation from various parts of the country and one case is even from abroad,” Aradhna said.

“We will form a chain of NGOs and will provide our helpline numbers where anyone can contact us. Legal experts will be there to guide and we will certainly work on an international level,” she pointed out.

Fifteen-year-old Ruchika was molested by former Haryana police chief S.P.S. Rathore in Panchkula town of Haryana in August 1990. She committed suicide three years later.

A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court had held Rathore guilty and sentenced him to six months’ rigorous imprisonment last year in December. However, he was granted bail immediately after his conviction.