News Brief
Wayanad Suicide Case: CPI(M)'s Student Wing SFI Under Scrutiny Over Ragging, Post-Mortem Reports Show Signs Of Torture
A CPI-M rally. (Representative Image)
In a latest development, the alleged suicide of a college student at the Wayanad campus of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University has stirred up controversy, with the ruling CPI(M) facing scrutiny over the alleged involvement of activists from its student wing, the Students Federation of India (SFI).
As reported by Indian Express, J S Sidharthan, a 20-year-old second-year student of BVSc and Animal Husbandry, was found hanging in the men’s hostel toilet on 18 February.
The case, initially registered as an unnatural death, took a grim turn after the post-mortem report indicated signs of torture and wounds sustained by the victim days before his death.
Following the report from an anti-ragging cell, the university suspended 12 students, including classmates, seniors, the college union president, a union member, and the SFI unit secretary.
Also, Wayanad police have arrested six students, but many SFI leaders remain absconding.
The charges include sections under the IPC for abetment to suicide, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, and violations of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
Sidharthan’s father, T Jayaprakash, alleges that his son was targeted by the SFI due to a perceived grudge.
According to him, Sidharthan was not involved in campus politics, but was subjected to severe harassment and torture after participating in a Valentine’s Day programme.
Congress’s V D Satheesan, Leader of the Opposition, characterised Sidharthan's death as murder and condemned the brutality allegedly inflicted by SFI members.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP leader V Muraleedharan has also raised concerns over attempts to portray the incident as a suicide to protect SFI activists.
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