WHEN he stepped into the ring on April 16, 1996, little did Vikram Malik, a cadet of the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehra Dun realise that it would be his last bout. At 4.15 pm, between rounds one and two, he slumped in his corner, frothing at his mouth. The 21-year-old gentleman cadet slipped into a coma from which he could not be revived. The following day at 2.30 pm he breathed his last at the Command Hospital, Dehra Dun.
The death would have gone down as an unfortunate accident but for the cadet's father, Major V.K. Malik, taking up the case. According to him, Vikram had been pressurised into taking part in a boxing championship despite doctors' advise that he should quit boxing and horse riding for life. And after he received the fatal injury, the cadet's family alleged that adequate medical attention was not provided to Vikram, leading to his death.
The whole case revolves around the question: was Vikram forced to box? There is no gainsaying that Vikram was a good boxer. But after he won the middle-weight gold in the boxing championship at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in April 1995, he had complained of pain due to head and spinal injuries in the title fight. At the Command Hospital in Pune, the neurosurgeon told the cadet's father that Vikram should avoid horseriding and boxing for life, as vertebrae five and six had been displaced. So, why was he asked to box? If a fellow
cadet and friend from Vikram's NDA days is to be believed, he was forced to box. In a written statement to Major Malik, the cadet states: "During the training in IMA, Vikram overstayed his leave period and was given 14 days restriction (the cadet cannot leave the academy for the period and has to go through additional drill) by his company commander and was told that if he won a boxing gold for his company, his punishment would be cancelled." The promise of this reprieve may have goaded Vikram to fight although he was aware that doctors had advised him to keep off.
Significantly, Captain Ashok Gangopadhyay (retd), a member of the International Boxing Association, points out that no one "can be forced to fight. The boxer himself can refuse to fight. Then, the coach, referee, jury and doctor can stop a boxer. In amateur boxing, death is very rare." Should Vikram have stayed away from the ring and not succumbed to pressure from his commander?
That's a moot point. Compounding the case is what transpired after he slipped into coma on April 16 in the ring. His parents allege negligence contributed to his death. Soon after the bout, two doctors—Lt. Col. Rakesh Arya and Major Rana—examined him at the military hospital and directed that he be rushed to the Command Hospital, 11 km away. He was taken there in a three-tonner, normally used for transporting stores. Neither doctor accompanied the dying cadet. At the command hospital, three precious hours were lost before Vikram was operated upon by a general surgeon, Lt. Col. H.K. Kochhar, at 9 pm. An hour later, Malik's family was given the news. As his distraught mother Anita and sister Nisha Moreau arrived from Delhi, IMA authorities secured an indemnity bond from Anita. They pleaded for the services of a neurosurgeon, and were told they would have to arrange for that. By the time they could, it was already too late.
Malik, who heard the news while job-hunting in the US, rushed back and has since been hard at work to see that the officers, who he alleges were responsible for his son's death, don't go unpunished. The bereaved father has written to defence minister Mulayam Singh Yadav. But so far no action has been promised. His attempts to meet the outgoing chief of army staff, General Roy Chowdhury, has also been in vain. In fact, he was even refused an appointment by the army chief.
Malik got in touch with NHRC on November 5, 1996. The commission has issued a notice to the UP government. On February 4, 1997, the defence secretary was served a notice, asking that a report be submitted within six weeks. The UP government passed the buck on to the defence ministry, which has already sought three extensions. Ministry officials refused to comment on the issue. All the Maliks have got so far is a monthly ex-gratia of Rs 375 from the finance ministry. But this, they say, is no consolation for a son's loss.
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