On 5th April, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered an FIR in the JS Sidharthan suicide case. As per the documents attached to the FIR, Sidharthan was mentally and physically tortured by seniors and classmates for 29 hours continuously the day before he committed suicide.
The FIR has been registered against 20 accused under Sections 120B, 341, 323, 324, 355, 306 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Section 4 r/w 3 of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act. While Akhil K has been named as the main accused, the names of other accused in the case are Kashinandhan R, Ameen Akbarali U, Arun K, Sinjo Johnson, N Asif Khan, Aman Ihsan, Ajay J, Althaf A, Soud Risal EK, Adithyan V, Muhammed Dhanish, Rehan Binoy, Akash SD, Abhishek S, Shreehari RD, Dons Dai, Billgate Joshwa Thannikkode, Naseef V, and Abhi A.
OpIndia accessed the copy of FIR which has several documents linked to the investigation. In one of the documents, the statement given by Sub-Inspector Prashobh PV before the Sub Divisional Magistrate Court, Mananthavady, revealed that Sidharthan was physically and mentally tortured by some senior students and classmates for 29 hours continuously.
The document mentioned the statements from an anti-ragging squad of the college, the dean of the college, the medical officer who conducted the autopsy and other witnesses. “Sidharthan was physically and mentally tortured by some senior students and classmates. They assaulted Sidharthan on 16th February 2024 from 9 AM to 2 PM 17th February 2024 continuously with hand and using a belt and subjected him to cruel ragging”, the document read.
The statement further mentioned that the ragging “made him utter stage of mental stress and feeling that he can neither continue study in the institute and complete this course nor go home dropping the course. As he is so mentally stressed, he felt that there was no option for him other than suicide, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the bathroom of the men’s hostel between 12:30 PM and 1:45 PM on 18th February 2024.”
Initially, police registered a case of unnatural death. However, the investigation revealed that the victim was tortured by the seniors and classmates. Apart from Students Federation of India (SFI) leaders Arun K, Amal Ihsan, Asif Khan and Abhishek S, CBI mentioned the names of several other accused.
JS Sidharthan found hanging in hostel after torture by SFI members
On 18th February, 20-year-old JS Sidharthan (or Sidharth) was found dead in the KVASU hostel. Several SFI members are accused of torturing the student for days, leading to the suicide.
Sidharthan’s death sparked an outrage in the state following which Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan suspended Professor (Dr) MR Saseendranath, the vice-chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Moreover, 31 university students were also suspended on the recommendation of the anti-ragging committee for connections with the case.
Most members are members of the Students Federation of India (SFI), a 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.
Notably, JS Sidharthan’s body was found hanging in the toilet of the college hostel in the afternoon. His post-mortem report carried many revelations including that he suffered a severe beating before death. Furthermore, his stomach was empty and there were wounds on his body. He sustained head, jaw and back injuries.
Afterwards, the police registered a case of unnatural death in this case. Twelve students comprising left-wing student leaders were also suspended from the college after its anti-ragging committee found the victim was brutally beaten up by fellow students days before his death. The arrested individuals are not among the suspended students who are evading capture. According to Sidharthan’s father, left-wing students regularly tortured his son. The suspended SFI leaders and members include the college union president, a union member, and the SFI unit secretary.
On 9th March, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a CBI inquiry into the case. Opposition parties and the father of the student had blamed the SFI for the death of the student.
On 31st March, Jayaprakash, the father of JS Sidharthan, made serious allegations against the Kerala government in connection to his son’s death and said if no action is taken, he will protest outside Cliff house (Kerala CM residence) along with his wife once her health condition improves. He added that the protest would not be against delay in the CBI investigation but an attempt to sabotage the probe.