Wayanad: 20-Year-Old Student Found Hanging Inside Bathroom Was Tortured Continuously For 29 Hours, Says Police Report

The 20-year-old veterinary student Sidharthan JS, who was found dead on February 18 and his body found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel in Kerala's Wayanad was tortured for 29 hours non-stop before his death by college seniors and classmates, said the Kerala Police in its report submitted to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Sidharthan JS was a second-year student at the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences in Kerala’s Wayanad district.

A report by English daily The Indian Express, cited information from Kerala Police's file handed over the CBI. The report said that Sidharthan was physically and mentally tortured by seniors and classmates leading him to kill himself.

The CBI took over the probe into the death of the 20-year-old veterinary student Sidharthan JS and arrived in Wayanad on Saturday (April 6), officials said.

Sidharthan was subjected to ragging by fellow students, including activists of CPI-M's students' outfit SFI, his family had alleged demanding a CBI inquiry.

On March 1, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammad Khan had visited the house of the deceased student Sidharthan JS and offered his condolences to the grief-stricken parents of Sidharthan.

After the matter was raised by the opposition in Kerala, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan ordered a CBI enquiry into death of JS Sidharth, the second-year student of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Husbandry University at Pookode in Wayanad.

Police Report To The CBI

The Indian Express report said that as per the police documents, Sidharthan was made to suffer cruel ragging at the hands of his classmates from February 16 (9 am) to February 17 (2 pm). Sidharthan was subjected to torture and was also hit by a belt.

"As he is so mentally stressed, he felt that there is no option for him other than suicide, he committed suicide by hanging himself in the bathroom of men’s hostel in between 12.30 pm and 13.45 pm on February 18," said the Indian Express report and cited police documents.

“Police had initially registered a case of unnatural death, but during the investigation conducted so far, it is understood from the report produced by the anti-ragging squad of the college, from the statement of the dean of the college, from the statement of the medical officer, who conducted autopsy and from the statement of the other witnesses, Sidharthan, was ‘physically and mentally tortured’ by some senior students and classmates,” the report further said.