The Bhutanese Leading the way.
Victim continues to face speech difficulties and psychological trauma
The mother of a 22-year-old former first-year student of Norbuling Rigter College (NRC), who suffered severe head and body injuries in a hostel assault in March this year, is planning to file a separate civil suit seeking civil liability over the incident.
The mother said the decision comes as her son continues to face difficulties despite improvements in his physical condition. He has regained his speech but still struggles with proper pronunciation and remains traumatized by the incident.
“My son’s condition has shown improvements. His speech is back, however, he is still having difficulty with proper pronunciation.”
Initially, the victim had lost his ability to speak and walk and had to be transported in a wheelchair. Although his physical condition has improved since then, his mother said the incident continues to affect his mental well-being.
She also said that a recent eye check-up revealed vision problems that he had not experienced before the assault. He was prescribed glasses, and the doctor had informed her that the problem could be linked to the head injury he sustained during the attack.
“Yesterday, I took my son for an eye check-up after he told me about his vision problems. He was prescribed glasses. After the incident, he may be recovering physically, but his mental state has still not recovered. He is still in mental trauma.”
The incident has also disrupted his education. His mother said the family had no option but to drop out of college because of his condition and the emotional distress associated with returning to the institution where the assault took place.
The victim had been alone in his hostel room during the early hours of 31st March 2026, while his roommates had gone home for the Paro Tshechu holidays.
According to the court proceedings, Pelden Wangchuk broke the window of the victim’s room, forced open the door and repeatedly struck him on the head and other parts of the body with a weapon before fleeing the scene.
The Paro Dzongkhag Court delivered its judgement on 10th September 2026, sentencing Pelden to five years of imprisonment for criminal attempt to murder and two years for malicious mischief, with an option to pay a fine in lieu of the prison term.
This means that if Pelden pays the fine for the two-year sentence, he will serve the five-year prison term. Otherwise, he will serve a total of seven years in prison.
The Office of the Attorney General had forwarded the case to the Paro Dzongkhag Court on 8th June 2026.
Before reaching the hostel, Pelden had damaged several properties, including vehicles, a police vehicle, a hotel window and other structures, according to the court proceedings.
The court considered witness testimonies, CCTV footage and other evidence when delivering its judgement.
The victim told the court that the attack began at around 2:30 am when the window of his room was broken. After he pleaded with the perpetrator to stop, the perpetrator entered through the door and struck him on the head with the weapon.
Medical reports dated 17th April described the injuries as grievous. The victim had sustained multiple bone fractures and intracranial hemorrhage, or bleeding within the skull, which required surgery under general anesthesia.
A subsequent medical report dated 14th July recorded speech impairment, including dysarthria, identified as a partial permanent disability, as well as physical and mental trauma.
The court found that Pelden knew the victim was alone in the hostel room and had carried a weapon, establishing his intention to commit murder. The court noted that the victim’s survival was due to his immediate transfer to hospital.
Pelden had told the court that he had no intention of assaulting the victim and that the incident occurred when he was not in his right state of mind. He also argued that the incident might have been avoided had he been arrested earlier.
The court did not accept these arguments.
In addition to the prison sentences, Pelden was ordered to pay Nu 95,700 to a vehicle owner within a month and compensate the owner of the house he damaged based on the repair bill.
Case Background
The assault left the victim with severe injuries to his head and body.
According to an earlier report by this reporter, he sustained a deep wound to the front of his head that required 24 stitches, another wound at the back of his head that required six stitches, and a deep wound on his left leg that required seven stitches.
He also suffered bruising to his chest and right thigh, with additional injuries to his leg and left hand.
The impact of the attack was so severe that the wound to his head exposed parts of his skull and affected the brain matter.
He underwent a six-hour surgery at Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital and remained in the Intensive Care Unit for three days.
Following the assault, he initially lost his ability to speak and walk independently and had to communicate with his family by typing on his phone.
