THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: T Jayaprakash, father of the deceased veterinary student JS Siddharthan, has accused P M Arsho, the state secretary of the Students Federation of India (SFI), of knowing about the physical assault on his son and remaining silent.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Jayaprakash alleged that his son had told him about Arsho's frequent visits to their hostel, even four to five months prior to his death. “Why did Arsho ignore the assault that had been happening for eight months?,”asked Jayaprakash.
Jayaprakash also questioned the exclusion of Akshay, allegedly protected by former minister M M Mani, from the list of individuals implicated in the case. "Others who were involved were included in the case but why not Akshay?"Jayaprakash questioned.
He also demanded clarity on why the Dean has not been indicted if he is indeed at fault. “He has been suspended, then why not included in the case?”,asked Jayaprakash.
Jayaprakash said he will launch a protest in front of the Chief minister's official residence on Monday if the culprits are not booked.
"It has been 41 days since Siddharthan passed away. Today during the rites, Sheeba, Siddharthan's mother collapsed, her health is falling,” he said.
The body of Siddharth, a second year undergraduate student, was found in the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University campus at Pookode in Wayanad on February 18.
The student’s death had rocked the state after it was alleged that senior students, most of them SFI activists, had tortured, shamed and put Sidharthan on public trial in the campus.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had ordered a CBI inquiry into the student's death on March 9.