Rahul Gandhi calls for CBI probe into Kerala student’s death case in letter to Chief Minister

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kerala Students Union (KSU) staged a protest march to the Secretariat as part of a statewide bandh in response to the tragic death of the student.

New Delhi: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday called for a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the death of a student, JS Sidhharthan, who was found hanging inside his college hostel on February 18.

“The Kerala government has a moral duty to act impartially. We demand a CBI investigation into the death of J S Sidharthan. The future of our youth cannot be sacrificed at the altar of ruthless political ambitions,” Rahul Gandhi said in his letter to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.

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Condemning the CPI(M) government in Kerala for allegedly shielding the perpetrators of this crime, Rahul Gandhi said, “It has been brought to my notice that the university administration, as well as the law enforcement agencies, sought to shield the perpetrators instead of bringing them to book. I unequivocally condemn this deliberate ploy to cover up the case.”

Referring to the Student Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPIM, Rahul Gandhi said, “The blanket impunity enjoyed by certain elements have only served to embolden them. The systematic attempts to stifle voices has turned certain student bodies into violent mobs.” Rahul Gandhi said that JS Sidharthan was a “young student with a bright future”.

“His parents Shri Jayaprakash and Smt. Sheeba deserve justice. No parent should have to live with the trauma and pain of watching a young life extinguished. The blood-curdling details emerging regarding his inhumane torture is a reminder that the failure of an institution tasked to protect our students can result in a grave tragedy,” the Congress MP from Wayanad added.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Kerala Students Union (KSU) staged a protest march to the Secretariat as part of a statewide bandh in response to the tragic death of the student. The police used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Saturday suspended the Vice Chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Dr MR Saseendranath in connection with the death of a second-year student at the university.

The victim was a student of the Government Veterinary College, Pookode in Thiruvananthapuram.