In relation to the case of the recent death of a student at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University in Pookode, police in Wayanad arrested two additional people today, Friday, March 1.
According to a senior police official in the district, the two had turned themselves in last night as a result of the officers' severe pressure.
In addition to them, the officer stated that a third accused was apprehended from the Kollam district yesterday, February 29, and is now being held. His arrest has not been documented yet. According to police, all three are among the case's twelve key accused, PTI reports.
As of now, nine students are being held in connection to the death of 20-year-old Siddharthan, a second-year student who was pursuing a bachelor's degree in Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, who was discovered hanging in his hostel bathroom on February 18.
During a visit to the victim's family today, March 1, Kerala State Food Supplies Minister GR Anil informed reporters that the government was taking the situation very seriously and that the offenders would face harsh legal action.
The minister added that anyone found to have been complicit in the incident, including college officials, will face the proper legal consequences following a fair investigation of the situation.
"It is not a political issue," he added.
Opposition lashes out
KC Venugopal, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) General Secretary, and Rahul Mamkootathil, Youth Congress State President, also met with the victim's family today, March 1. After speaking with the family, Venugopal informed reporters that, "it was a clear-cut case of murder".
The AICC General Secretary also questioned what the college administration was doing to prevent similar incidents. Venugopal further accused Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of converting the Students' Federation of India (SFI) into a criminal organisation.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan urged the state police chief yesterday, February 29, to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate Siddharthan's death and to take stern legal action against anybody involved in the matter.
Development so far
On Wednesday, February 28, six of the 18 accused in the case were apprehended. However, they were not among the 12 main accused.
The police first recorded a case of unnatural death but eventually charged 12 students with a variety of offences under the IPC and the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act, including aiding suicide, wrongful restraint, and voluntarily causing harm by dangerous weapons or means.
The number of accused rose to 18.
Siddharthan's death has roiled the state's politics, with the Congress and BJP blaming the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s student wing SFI for beating the young man to death. The SFI has refuted the charges.
The victim's parents have claimed that a few of his college mates told them that he was beaten to death by a few local SFI leaders and activists.
The father contended that according to the postmortem report, his son's body had three days' worth of injuries and an empty stomach, which indicated that he was brutally beaten up and not given any food.
