Chargesheet to show rogue bus driver's brutal nature

1,000-page document to be filed in court this week

Delhi Police’s chargesheet on the December 16 gang rape case is likely to highlight that main accused Ram Singh is a short-tempered alcoholic who regularly picks up fights.

Ram along with his brother Mukesh Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma, Akshay and a 17-year-old boy have been nabbed in the case. According to a senior police official, the chargesheet — likely to be around 1,000 pages — gives details of Ram’s profile.

“It would highlight that Ram used to pick fights with residents of Ravi Dass Camp at R K Puram sector 3. He also did not get along with anyone except his brother and co-accused Mukesh,” the official said.

Police have also recovered 23-year-old woman’s hair and blood from Ram’s nails, and claim that he had cleaned the chartered bus to destroy evidence.

Since January, Ram was driving the bus in which co-accused Akshay worked as helper. Ram has already told police that he arranged a small party at his house at Ravi Dass Camp on December 16 during which they consumed alcohol.

After the party, the six men went on a “joyride” in the chartered bus to rob gullible passengers. Initially they picked up Sangam Vihar-resident carpenter Ramadhar Singh from R K Puram Sector 4 and dumped him near IIT campus after robbing his valuables.

“The accused then went towards Munirka bus stop, where the 23-year-old woman and her male friend boarded the bus,” the official added.

The male friend was mercilessly beaten up with an iron rod due to which he suffered severe injuries on head, arms and legs. When the woman tried to save him, the accused dragged her to the rear of the bus and raped her.

They were later pushed out of the bus near Mahipalpur, after which Ram and Akshay drove the bus to Noida. Ram and Akshay dropped Mukesh, Vinay, Pawan and the juvenile to their houses and took the bus to Rohilkhand in Noida to avoid being caught.

Police further claim that Ram cleaned the bus after committing the crime to destroy evidence.

“Two eyewitnesses support this theory. We have also recovered the victim's friend's mobile phone from the accused. They had received two calls on his phone,” the official said.

Five of the six accused face charges under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence), 365 (kidnapping), 376-2G (gang rape), 377 (unnatural offences) and 396 (dacoity) of the Indian Penal Code. The sixth accused is a juvenile who has not been included in the draft chargesheet. A supplementary chargesheet will be filed if results of an ostification test prove he is a major.

The chargesheet will also include statements of close to 80 witnesses, besides post-mortem and forensic reports. Statements of the para-medical student and her male friend are expected to strengthen police’s case. Investigators said that they would seek the death penalty for the accused.

A team led by deputy commissioner of police (south) Chhaya Sharma is working to finalise the chargesheet after getting it approved by legal experts. The chargesheet will be shown to a bench of the Delhi High Court before it is submitted at Saket district court this week.