StudentsPledge Date 01.03.2024 –
Sourav Ghosh, General Secretary, AIDSO gave the following statement in response to the mysterious death of Siddharth J.S., a second-year Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student at Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Wayanad following a gruesome incident of ragging:
“On Feb 18, Siddharth was found hanging in the hostel washroom. It was learnt that Siddharth was publicly ragged, paraded naked and brutally beaten up using belts and iron rods in the hostel for three days. However, the delay on the part of the police in arresting the accused the fact that the university authorities did not inform the police during the post-mortem is reprehensible. It has since emerged that the main accused are activists of SFI, including the Unit Secretary and President of College Union. It is also evident now that the police and university authorities had taken measures to protect the accused. While some of the accused have been arrested, all the culprits including university authorities who have been compliant in the incident should be brought to justice.
This incident has brought to light the increasing criminality in the campuses which paves way for the most decadent practices. Ragging, mob trials and mental torture of students are on the rise in colleges as a result of criminal politicisation of campuses. The violent politics pursued by mainstream student organizations including SFI has played a major role in the deteriorating state of affairs. It is a result of the present political decadence that even the teachers are actively compliant in such incidents.
In this situation, the AIDSO demands that all those responsible for Siddharth’s death should be given exemplary punishment and measures be taken to ensure the safety of the students inside the campuses. We also call upon the democratic society to hold close the flame of democratic values and ensure that our campuses remain safe by isolating criminal elements.”
