The vice-chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (KVASU) in Pookode, Kerala’s Wayanad, Professor (Dr) MR Saseendranath was suspended by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on 2nd March. The decision stemmed from allegations of oversight and duty neglect which allegedly led to the torture, public trial, social disgrace and suicide of 20-year-old JS Sidharthan (or Sidharth), a second-year student at the campus hostel on the afternoon of 18th February. Several SFI members are accused of torturing the student for days leading to the suicide.
Apart from the suspension of the vice-chancellor, 31 students of the university also have been suspended on the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee for connections with the case. While 19 of them have been suspended for three years, 12 have been suspended for one year. They can’t enrol in any other college during this period. The committee has recommended the college to expel the students from the hostel also. Most of the members are members of the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student group affiliated with the Communist Party of India (Marxist). A total of 11 accused have been arrested so far, and 4 of them are leaders of the SFI.
The events that led to Sidharthan’s death, according to the suspension order from Raj Bhavan, demonstrate that the vice chancellor failed to handle university affairs with the “desired sincerity, gravity and promptness” stipulated by the university’s regulations and statutes and other pertinent regulations. The order highlighted, “The indifferent, negligent and callous attitude of the VC towards his duties and responsibilities especially against the background of the unfortunate incident is revealed from his report. There was a gross dereliction of duty on the part of the VC during the period that led to the unfortunate incident.”
The governor announced that the Kerala High Court registrar general would be approached regarding the legal proceedings in the matter. The order added, “Being a fit case to invoke Section 9(9) of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University Act, 2010, an inquiry by a person, who is or who has been a judge of the high court or the supreme court is ordered. The registrar of the high court would be requested in this regard in due course.”
The governor pointed out that the vice chancellor’s disregard for maintaining a peaceful campus environment and his disinterest in the administration of the university have gone “beyond comprehension in terms of rule of law” which is a concerning sign that does not bode well for the institution’s operations or the state’s higher education system. The order noted, “At this juncture, absence of a rarest of rare kind action would impede the course of justice.”
Arif Mohammed Khan pointed out lapses of the university in checking the brutal attack on JS Sidharthan while talking to the reporters in Thiruvananthapuram. He remarked, “This is a pure case of murder. The post-mortem report revealed that his stomach was empty. That means he was not allowed to eat or drink for more than 24 hours. Now, how is it possible that inside a university campus, such a gruesome incident happened and no university authority came to know about it? SFI (Students Federation of India) has converted one hostel in every college as their headquarters and even college staff are afraid to go to there. Teachers were scared to conduct inspections. The party-controlled teacher organisations play second fiddle to the SFI.”
He added, “The torment, insult, physical assault and forced starvation that resulted in Sidharthan’s death were not a one-off incident. The SFI has a stranglehold on campuses and hostels.” He observed that the scope of the impending judicial enquiry would cover those aspects. He also questioned the university administration’s ignorance of the student’s three days of continuous, gruesome torment. He revealed, “The university reported me about the death only yesterday,” while taking a jab at the vice-chancellor.
The Raj Bhavan has asked the High Court to set up a magisterial investigation into the case within the next three or four days. The post-mortem examination report, per the governor, demonstrated the severity of the torture that the deceased was allegedly subjected to by the SFI. He also voiced doubts over the police probe into incidents of suicide abetment. He claimed that although the state has some of the best law enforcement in the nation, it remains under “the CPI(M)’s (Communist Party of India-Marxist) political control.”
He also visited the parents of JS Sidharthan in Thiruvananthapuram’s Nedumangad on 1st March. “I am here to share the grief of the family, especially the mother, who is in a very bad state. The police and the university are saying that the SFI activists are involved in it. Here, young people are being trained for violence, but they are merely pawns,” he highlighted while addressing the media.
He called on political parties to ‘rethink’ their approaches and abandon violence and stressed that campus politics destroys young people’s future. “We have to think about more than just this one case, we have to think about all youngsters. When youngsters have a police case against them, it takes years. They couldn’t apply for any jobs, and they became dependent on political people. Now, the people of the state should think that the cult of violence must end.” He observed, “Youth’s future is getting ruined in it. I appeal to every political party to rethink their strategy, rethink how they want to work, and give up violence.”
JS Sidharthan was discovered hanging in his dorm room on 18th February. His family members accused that he was violently attacked by other SFI student leaders within the institution and emphasised that the case was murder rather than suicide. The matter transpired after the young man danced with senior women students at the college on Valentine’s Day.