Kerala Assembly: Pinarayi Vijayan denies lapses in probe into veterinary student Sidharthan’s death

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refuted any shortcomings in the investigation into the death of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University student Sidharthan J.S.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has refuted any shortcomings in the investigation into the death of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University student Sidharthan J.S. He also dismissed allegations of State government interference to impede the ongoing probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

While responding to questions during the Question Hour in the Kerala Assembly on June 10, Mr. Vijayan acknowledged the lack of vigilance by three Home Department officials in expediting the case’s transfer to the CBI. While they were temporarily suspended from service, the officials were reinstated after finding their explanations to be satisfactory.

Mr. Vijayan also took a swipe at the Opposition, asserting that their allegations of a cover-up were baseless and could be employed as propaganda alone.

Congress MLA T. Siddique highlighted observations from a police remand report, indicating the existence of a “parallel justice delivery system” within the campus operated by a kangaroo court. He also alleged the prevalence of similar practices by Students Federation of India (SFI)-led unions in various other campuses.

While declining to endorse such allegations, the Chief Minister emphasised the stringent measures in place to combat ragging in educational institutions.

In the case of Sidharthan’s death, Mr. Vijayan pointed out that 12 students had been suspended and booked after being found by an inquiry committee to have subjected the deceased to ragging.