Wayanad Veterinary student death: Governor appoints former HC judge to inquiry commission

Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday appointed a retired judge from the Kerala High Court to an Inquiry Commission to probe the alleged administrative lapses of Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University management in connection with the death of a student.

Khan has appointed former Kerala High Court judge A Hariprasad to the single-member Inquiry Commission to inquire into the omissions or refusal of university authorities to perform their duties in connection with the Kerala Prohibition Of Ragging Act and the anti-ragging regulations issued by the UGC.

''The Commission shall inquire into the lapses in the administration that resulted in the tragic death of Sidharthan J S, BVSc student of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (CVAS), Pookode, Wayanad under the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University,'' a notification issued by Kerala Raj Bhavan said.

The notification also said that the Commission shall inquire into the alleged lapses on the part of University authorities including that of the then vice-chancellor and dean to contain unsavoury incidents of ragging and violence in the campus, which led to the unfortunate death of the student.

It shall also fix the responsibility on the officers or authorities of the University for omissions, lapses, if any which led to the tragic death, the notification added.

The governor also asked the commission to suggest measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Khan has asked the commission to submit the report within three months. Twenty-year-old Sidharthan was found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel on February 18.

According to the remand report submitted by the police, his classmates and seniors held a public trial inside the hostel, alleging that he had misbehaved with a girl student of the college.

Police have charged the accused under sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of the Kerala Prohibition Of Ragging Act.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)