THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala government will recommend a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of JS Sidharthan, a second-year student of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University at Pookode in Wayanad.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the victim's parents who met him here on Saturday.
"A police probe is on into the case and all the accused have been booked. Sidharthan's mother has handed a memorandum to the CM seeking a CBI probe. The government will recommend a CBI probe considering the family's feelings," said a statement issued by the CM's office.
The Chief Minister told them that the police investigation was going on and all the accused had already been arrested through a flawless and fair probe, the statement said.
However, as the victim's mother has also submitted a petition seeking a CBI probe, Vijayan informed the family that he has decided to leave the investigation of the case to the CBI, respecting their sentiments, it said.
The statement came shortly after the victim's father told reporters here that Vijayan assured him that the case would be handed over to the CBI if required.
The victim's father said that he met the Chief Minister today and sought a CBI probe into the death of his son who was found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel on February 18.
He also said that he informed the CM that in view of the injuries suffered by his son, as noted in the post-mortem report, many doctors have said that Sidharthan could not have even stood up to hang himself.
"Therefore, I told the CM that my son was killed and it was not a suicide," he said.
He also told reporters that the mere suspension of the Dean of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at Pookode in the Wayanad district of the state and the assistant warden of the hostel, where Sidharthan died, was not enough.
"They should be dismissed from service and should also face legal action," he demanded.
He said that if the probe is handed over to the CBI, he has a lot more to tell that agency about the dean and the assistant warden.
The police in its remand report regarding one of the accused in the case had told a court recently that the victim was assaulted viciously.
The report said that a belt and a cable wire were used to assault Sidharthan.
It said that his classmates and senior held a public trial inside the hostel alleging that he had misbehaved with a girl student of the college.
"He was stripped down to his underwear and the accused assaulted him. Some of them used a belt and a cable wire," the report said.
It said that the assault began on February 16 at around 9 PM and lasted till 2 AM on February 17.
Police have charged the 18 accused in the case 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 second-year Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student.
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.
The father contended that according to the postmortem report, his son's body had injuries and an empty stomach, indicating that he was brutally beaten up and not given any food.
Sidharthan's death has led to widespread protests against SFI and the ruling Left government by the Congress-led opposition and its various wings.
The opposition and the BJP alleged that the ruling CPI(M)'s student wing SFI beat Sidharthan to death.
The Students Federation of India (SFI) has denied the allegations.
Congress youth outfits call off indefinite fast
The youth feeder organisations of the Congress have stopped their indefinite fast in front of the Secretariat demanding a CBI probe into Sidharthan’s death. This came after the chief minister promised Sidharthan’s father T Jayaprakash, who met him at his office at the Secretariat on Saturday, to recommend a CBI probe. KSU, Youth Congress and Mahila Congress presidents Aloysius Xavier, Rahul Mamkoottathil and Jebi Mather started their protest last Monday