Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the youth wing of CPIM, on Saturday demanded a probe into the suicide by a 26-year-old IT professional who left a note on Instagram alleging that he was sexually abused at a RSS ‘shakha’. The body of the man, a native of Kottayam district, was found hanging at a tourist home in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday evening, a day after he checked in there. “Harassment is still going on at RSS ‘shakhas’. I am able to speak out because I have come out of it. Many children are facing abuse at ‘shakhas’, they should be saved and given counselling. Apart from sexual abuse, I have faced physical assault also. Nobody will believe me, because I don’t have proof,’’ his Instagram post alleged. Police said they have registered a case of unnatural death. “We are aware of the Instagram post attributed to the victim. As social media posts are considered suicide note, his Instagram post also comes within that purview. The probe is still at a preliminary stage. We are awaiting the postmortem report. Police in Thiruvananthapuram city are probing the matter. A parallel probe will also be conducted at his native place in Kottayam district,’’ said a police source. DYFI state general secretary V K Sanooj claimed the man has been facing mental trauma over the alleged sexual abuse. “We have been repeatedly talking about what’s happening in RSS ‘shakhas’. Many people had joined RSS. His death is a warning to such persons,” he claimed. DYFI on Saturday took out a march in Kottayam seeking action. RSS ‘prant pracharak’ S Sudarshan did not attend to calls or respond to the messages. A senior RSS state functionary, who did not want to be named, said, “Why should RSS be concerned about it? He has not named anyone in the Instagram post. He might have worked with RSS and later moved out. Many are doing so,’’ he said. A relative of the man in Kottayam said the youth had been active in RSS during early years. “His father, who died in an accident a few years back, had been active in the RSS and there was a time when ‘shakhas’ used to be held at the family’s residential premises. After obtaining a degree, the youth was working from home for an IT firm," said a relative.
