Kerala vet student was stripped, assaulted with belt, wire for 5 hours: Remand report

Veterinary student Sidharthan JS was stripped and beaten up with a belt and a cable wire for five hours, says the remand report of the suspects linked to his death.

The 20-year-old second-year student at College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Pookode, Wayanad, was found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel on February 18. Police have arrested all the 18 accused, who have been remanded in judicial custody.

Five-hour assault

The remand report says the assault on Sidharthan began around 9 pm on February 16 and lasted till 2 am on February 17. It says his classmates and senior held a public trial inside the hostel alleging that he had misbehaved with a girl student of the college.

According to media reports, while Sidharthan’s family has claimed that the row was over his dance with senior female students at the college on Valentine’s Day, police have said it was possibly about an old incident narrated by a female student.

Called back to college

However, according to the police, one of the accused called Sidharthan, who had left for home, back to the college on February 15 to settle the issue related to his “misbehaviour” using the “unwritten law” of the hostel, instead of approaching the police.

“He was stripped down to his underwear and the accused assaulted him. Some of them used a belt and a cable wire,” the remand report said.

According to an Indian Express report, the accused took Sidharthan to a hilltop near the hostel to “question” him though the assault took place later at the hostel.

Police urged the court not to give the accused bail, as Sidharthan’s parents have demanded a full inquiry, claiming that he would not have killed himself.

Multiple charges

Police have charged the accused under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 306 (Abetment of suicide), of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.

Sidharthan was a Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student. Some have pointed out that since Sidharthan was in the second year, and some of the accused were his classmates, it was unlikely to have been an incident of ragging.

His father has contended that according to the postmortem report, his son’s body had three days’ worth of injuries and an empty stomach, which indicated that he was brutally beaten up and not given any food. His postmortem report reportedly said even though the death was “due to hanging”, Sidharthan had “multiple blunt injuries” that suggest assault.

Political colour

His parents have claimed that some of his college mates told them that he was beaten to death by some local SFI leaders and activists. This has led the Congress and the BJP to accuse the ruling CPI(M)’s student wing SFI of beating Sidharthan to death.

While the SFI has denied the allegations, Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has suspended the vice-chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University.

(With agency inputs)