Four SFI leaders among 10 arrested in case, search on for eight more accused
A student of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Kerala’s Wayanad district, who was found hanging inside the men’s hostel on February 18, was allegedly tortured at the campus before his death. Four leaders of the Students Federation of India (SFI) were among 10 people arrested in connection with the case.
According to sources, 20-year-old J S Sidharthan, a second-year Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student, was allegedly tortured because he had danced with senior women students at the college on Valentine’s Day.
Police have identified 18 students as accused in the case.
The four SFI leaders whose arrests were recorded on Friday were college union president K Arun, SFI unit secretary Amal Ihsan, and unit members Asif Khan and S Abhishek. The SFI, the student wing of the ruling CPI(M), has sacked the four arrested students.
Police have also intensified their search for eight others suspected to be directly involved in torturing Sidharthan. Of the 18 accused, five were his classmates.
Police had initially registered a case of unnatural death, but have now framed charges under Indian Penal Code sections related to abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint, and voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, as well as the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
The postmortem report said findings were “consistent with death due to hanging”. It also said Sidharthan had “sustained multiple blunt injuries, including tramline contusion of 2-3 days on the body suggestive of assault”. Tramline contusion occurs when the skin is struck by a rod or rectangular-sectioned object.
Sidharthan’s father Jayaprakash, who works as a supervisor with a construction firm in Dubai, suggested that his son would not commit suicide. “My son is a bright student, he would never take such a decision. He had opted for a veterinary course due to his love towards animals. He wanted to pursue higher studies after the course. A section of his classmates was envious of him. We want police to probe the role of the students’ dean at the university and the hostel warden. Without their knowledge, such a brutal incident would not happen,” he said.
M Shibu, Sidharthan’s uncle, said, “We were told by students that seniors were irked over Sidharthan dancing with girls of their batch (on Valentine’s Day). The next day, he left the Wayanad campus and went home to Thiruvananthapuram as there was no class on February 16 and 17…”
“While he was travelling by train to Thiruvananthapuram on the night of February 15, he was told by a classmate to return to the campus. He said he wanted Sidharthan to submit a paper the next day… He alighted in Kochi and returned to the campus that night itself. When his mother asked about his whereabouts on February 16 morning, Sidharthan said he was on his way back to the campus,” Shibu said.
Back on campus, Sidharthan was allegedly tortured for the next two days under the leadership of the arrested students. He was allegedly stripped in front of other students and beaten severely with a belt.
“After torture and mob trial, he was shut up in a room. He was not given food nor was he allowed to take it. The gang was observing his health. Although his mother repeatedly called Sidharthan, he did not attend any calls. He later told her that there was no issue, and that he would call back,” his uncle Shibu said.