The body of the student, Sidharthan JS, was found inside the hostel's bathroom on February 18
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has assumed control of the investigation into the death of a 20-year-old veterinary student in a college hostel in Kerala’s Wayanad district.
The student, identified as Sidharthan JS, was discovered deceased inside the hostel’s bathroom on February 18. His family alleged that he had been subjected to ragging by fellow students, including members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M).
According to The Indian Express, Kerala Police reported that Sidharthan endured continuous assault for 29 hours from seniors and classmates before he took his own life. Sub-inspector Prashobh PV of Vythiri police station wrote in the suicide abetment case file provided to the CBI that Sidharthan was physically and mentally tortured by his peers, leading to his decision to end his life.
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The CBI re-registered the First Information Report (FIR) filed with Wayanad’s Vythiri police station against 20 individuals after receiving a notification from the Centre. Typically, in state-referred cases, the CBI initiates an investigation by re-registering the FIR.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured a CBI probe on March 9 following political outcry over the case. However, the issue escalated into controversy, with the Opposition Congress and the BJP accusing the state government of delaying the handover of key files to the CBI.
The student’s family also alleged that the state government intentionally delayed the CBI probe by withholding files and tampering with evidence.
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Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, promised to expedite the CBI investigation in response to the student’s family’s concerns.
The student’s father, Jayaprakash, claimed his son had endured harassment for eight months before his death. He accused SFI leaders of being complicit, alleging that they were aware of the situation but failed to intervene.
