Life will never be the same again, says Kumar
GURUGRAM: Life hasn’t been easy for Ashok Kumar, the 42-year-old bus conductor who was the initial suspect in the murder of the eight-year-old student but who was later acquitted by a special court in Gurugram on February 28.
It has been a year since the incident but the alleged torture he faced at the hands of the police is still fresh in his mind. “I am still unable to lead a normal life and sometimes get up in the middle of the night and wonder why I had to suffer so much for no fault of mine,” he said.
The Gurugram Police had first arrested Kumar on September 8, 2017, accusing him of murdering and sexually assaulting the eight-year-old.
Kumar spent 74 days in jail, before he was granted bail on November 21, 2017.
A resident of Ghamroj village, around 18 kilometres from Gurugram, he said he couldn’t find a job after the incident. “People sympathise with me but do not want to offer me a job,” he said. After repeated failures, he decided to set up a vegetable cart.
A mere recall of what he went through makes him shudder. “I was arrested, tortured and brutally assaulted in the lockup, in their efforts to make me confess to the crime,” he said, adding people still ask him about the incident. “These days, I keep to myself,” Kumar said.
A day in his life now involves mostly staying at home, helping his wife cook and spending time with his two sons.
Kumar’s family is still not comfortable talking to the police or the media. They said the police and the media only remind them of their ordeal, which they are trying hard to forget.
Kumar’s wife Mamata, who works at a private school and manages the family’s finances, said she is thankful that her husband has been acquitted. “Our children have gone through a lot due to the arrest. Their classmates mock them and constantly ask why their father was arrested, but I am unable to tell them anything,” she said.
She said she would never forgive the police officers involved in her husband’s arrest and those who planned the conspiracy.
No action has been taken against the cops yet as the CBI is yet to file a supplementary charge sheet. Once filed, action will be taken against those found guilty.
Inspector Narender Khatana, the station house officer who had arrested Kumar on September 8, said the allegations against him are baseless. “He was arrested from the school after bloodstains were spotted on his shirt and he had washed his shirt. The preliminary investigations revealed that Kumar was guilty and he had confessed to the crime.”
“I have suffered a lot and so has my family. I know I can never lead the same life again, but I have made a fresh start. I am sure I will not get a job at another school again. I want to lead a simple life and concentrate on my work,” Kumar said.
However, Kumar’s role in the case is not over yet — he is now the CBI’S prime witness in the case.
Kumar said he is grateful to the victim’s family for having faith in him and believing he wasn’t the murderer. “I pray that justice is served. The boy, who I had picked up in my arms while he was breathing his last, should get justice,” Kumar said.