JS Siddharth, a 20-year-old student at Kerala Veterinary University in Wayanad, tragically took his own life after enduring severe ragging and assault for a harrowing 29 hours, according to details provided in the case file handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) by the state police.
The CBI has taken over the investigation into Siddharth's death and re-registered the First Information Report (FIR) against 20 individuals.
As per the case details, Siddharth was subjected to relentless torture by his seniors and classmates from 9 am on February 16 until 2 pm on February 17. The torture included physical assaults using belts and cruel ragging, inflicting severe mental and physical trauma on the victim, as outlined in the primary investigation findings in the case file.
The prolonged period of torment pushed Siddharth to an extreme state of mental distress, leading him to believe that he had no viable options left, neither to continue his studies nor to return home. Consequently, feeling helpless, Siddharth tragically took his own life by hanging himself in the men's hostel bathroom on February 18.
The tragic incident has raised allegations from Siddharth's family, who have implicated students associated with the Students' Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the ruling CPI(M) party, in the assault.
Following Siddharth's death, the Kerala police arrested several activists affiliated with the SFI at the college.
In response to the family's demand for a CBI investigation, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered the transfer of the case to the CBI, citing a lack of trust in the ongoing investigation.
