Ragging Issue

Sidharthan JS, a 20-year-old veterinary student, was reportedly beaten "continuously" by seniors and peers for almost 29 hours prior to taking his own life. His body was discovered hanging inside the college hostel bathroom in Kerala's Wayanad district on February 18.

According to a report by Indian Express, which referenced material from the Kerala police file sent over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Sidharthan was "physically and mentally tortured" by peers and seniors, which ultimately led him to commit suicide.

The investigation into the death of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences second-year student in Kerala's Wayanad district was taken over by the CBI on Friday night.

QUOTES FROM THE POLICE REPORT?

According to IE, which cited police records, Sidharthan was the target of "cruel ragging" by his seniors and classmates from February 16 to February 17 between the hours of 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. They allegedly beat him with a belt and their hands.

This put him in a complete state of mental tension and gave him the impression that he would never be able to finish this course at the Institute or go home and drop it. He killed himself on February 18 between 12.30 and 13.45 p.m. in the men's hostel restroom because he was so emotionally strained that he thought he had no other choice. IE reported this story based on police records.

"Although police had initially reported an unnatural death, it is clear from the report from the college's anti-ragging squad, the dean's statement, the statement from the medical officer who performed the autopsy, and the statements of the other witnesses that Sidharthan was 'physically and mentally tortured' by some senior students and classmates," the report continued.

The CBI's FIR

Within hours of getting a notification in this regard from the central government, the CBI re-registered the Free File Report (FIR) against 20 individuals that was originally submitted at the Vythiri police station in Waynad late on Friday night. The suspects have been charged under provisions of the Indian Penal Code that deal with criminal conspiracy, aiding and abetting suicide, unlawful restraint, voluntarily causing harm, and the anti-ragging statute of Kerala.

According to the government, a forensics team and a CBI team would soon be visiting the state.

In these state-referred instances, the protocol states that the CBI re-registers the local police FIR in order to begin an investigation.

After the investigation is finished, the conclusions that are presented to the court in the form of a final report may differ greatly from the claims made in the first information report.

THE NEED FOR A CBI PROBE AND POLITICAL UPROAR

The problem became public and quickly became a political hot potato, with the BJP and the opposition Congress accusing the government of not having given the CBI the essential files weeks after the guarantee.

On March 9, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised a CBI investigation following political.

Three Home Department workers were recently suspended by the Kerala government, which cited their alleged "dereliction and unresponsiveness" in providing the Central Bureau of Investigation with relevant papers and information.

In addition to the opposition, the family of the dead student also spoke out against the government, claiming that by withholding the required documents and destroying the evidence, the government was purposefully attempting to stall the CBI investigation.

The family of the student received assurances from Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the NDA contender for the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, that the CBI investigation into the incident will be started as soon as possible.

By postponing the case's transfer to the CBI, the Left-led Kerala government and the police were accused by the Congress-led UDF of attempting to shield the people accountable for the murder of a student at the government-run College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Wayanad.

According to Jayaprakash, the victim's father, his son was being tormented.