Opinion What the alleged assault and suicide of a student says about impunity in Kerala
Why did these young men, who should be full of hope for the future, attack one of their own in such a brutal manner? Most of us won’t understand this -- unless we understand the politics of Kerala
20-year-old J S Sidharthan was a second-year of Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student. 
Colleges stopped being centres of education and higher learning in Kerala a long time ago. They were seen by political parties as breeding grounds for party cadres. The party cadre had to be tough. Therefore, they encouraged pitched battles to produce foot soldiers. They didn’t want them to be soft and sophisticated. They wanted them to be baptised in blood. These foot soldiers beat up fellow students, teachers and principals in the most ruthless manner. Their political masters always protected them.
Kerala’s universities have long been witness to violence and killing. The latest and the most ruthless has been the death of J S Sidharthan, a 20-year-old second-year student of Veterinary College, Pookot in Wayanad, under the Kerala Veterinary University, on February 18. He was stripped naked and beaten up by his classmates and seniors in broad daylight. It didn’t happen in some closed hostel room. The kangaroo court took place over three days in the middle courtyard of the hostel. It was alleged that Sidharthan finally committed suicide, unable to take it anymore. The post-mortem report revealed extensive injuries, including to internal organs. The assault reportedly took place in full view of several onlookers, many of them supposedly his friends. None of them, reportedly, tried to stop the attacks.
Cases have been registered against the accused for abetment to suicide. The accused claim that Sidharthan committed suicide in the toilet, a claim that seems dubious to many. There are also doubts about how well the Kerala police — generally very competent — will handle the case, given the stakes for the ruling dispensation in the state. I think it is best to entrust it to CBI.
One thing is certain — all 18 accused who have been arrested belong to the Students Federation of India (SFI), the student wing of the CPI(M), which governs Kerala. Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has suspended the university’s vice-chancellor, M R Saseendranath, which has been applauded. He has also ordered a judicial inquiry by a retired Supreme Court or high court judge. The Governor has been engaged in a battle against the rampant criminality in the state’s universities. The dean and hostel warden too have failed in their duties. The entire campus, it seems, is run by the SFI.
Was there a communal angle to the tragedy? I hope that these are rumours. Kerala has been the most literate state in the country for a long time. I was in some way responsible for the final act of glory: When Kottayam became the first town in India with 100 per cent literacy, I was the District Collector there. The people of Kerala are well-read. The state is home to a multi-religious society where the people have lived together peacefully since time immemorial. There was a fraying of that fabric when fundamentalism knocked at the state’s door about 25 years ago. Therefore, God forbid, the Sidharthan saga has a communal angle to it.
All 18 accused have been arrested. From even a cursory look at the list of the accused, one thing is evident: These students belong to every community and religion of Kerala. All of them are in the age group of 20-25 years.
Why did these young men, who should be full of hope for the future, attack one of their own in such a brutal manner? Most of us won’t understand this — unless we understand the politics of Kerala.
The writer is a former Union minister. He currently practices in the Supreme Court and was a 1979 batch officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
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