Police take shrink’s help in Ruchika case

Bhubaneswar: The commissionerate police have taken the help of a woman psychologist to record the statement of boarders of BJB College hostel, where Plus-III student Ruchika Mohanty died by suicide due to alleged ragging on July 2.
Police said the hostel inmates are in a state of trauma following Ruchika’s death and are scared to speak before them. With the help of the woman psychologist, the police have started talking to the girls to get some clues about three unknown seniors who had allegedly been ragging Ruchika, forcing her to kill herself. In her suicide note, Ruchika blamed three seniors for her death but did not name anyone.
“We took the help of the psychologist to assist us in the investigation. Since the students are mentally disturbed following Ruchika’s death, they could have been feeling scared and uncomfortable to talk to us. We hope they would feel comfortable in front of the woman psychologist,” said Prakash Pal, additional deputy commissioner of police.
On Sunday, a team of police officials took Prapti Pradhan, the psychologist, to the hostel for examination of the inmates.
“Some people are introvert and do not usually open up before the police in such a tense situation (when one of their hostel mates have killed herself). We can read their minds and help them get rid of their trauma. In the presence of the police, I tried to make the students feel comfortable and urged them to supply the police with information,” Pradhan said.
Ruchika’s parents Ganeswar Mohanty and Bidulata Mohanty continue to sit on dharna outside BJB College since her death, demanding immediate arrest of the three who allegedly abetted her suicide. They have been demanding a CBI probe into the circumstances that prompted her to kill herself.
“Over a week has passed since my daughter died, but the police are yet to identify the three seniors. We are not going to move from here until the culprits are arrested,” Bidulata said. The parents said they would perform Ruchika’s funeral rite in front of BJB College.