The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) took over the probe into the death of 20-year-old veterinary student Sidharthan JS, said the officials on Sunday. Sidharthan's body was found hanging inside the bathroom of the college hostel in Wayanad district on February 18.
The victim was continuously assaulted for 29 hours by seniors and classmates before he allegedly died by suicide, the media reports said quoting the Kerala Police.
Earlier, Sidharthan's family demanded a CBI probe into the matter. The victim was reportedly subjected to ragging by fellow students, including activists of CPI-M's students' outfit SFI.
The Central probe agency re-registered an FIR filed at the Vythiri police station in Waynad against 20 people late Friday night, within hours of receiving a notification from the Central government in this connection.
The accused have been booked under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, abetment to suicide, wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt and Kerala's anti-ragging law.
A CBI team will visit the state soon with a forensics team, the officials said.
According to the procedure, the CBI starts a probe in such state-referred cases by re-registering the FIR of local police. The findings which are submitted in the form of a final report to a court after the completion of the probe can be completely different from the allegations in the FIR.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured a CBI probe
Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had assured a CBI probe on March 9 following a political uproar. T
he issue later snowballed into a political controversy with the opposition Congress and the BJP alleging the government was yet to hand over necessary files to the CBI weeks after the assurance.
The Kerala government had recently suspended three employees of the Home Department alleging "dereliction and unresponsiveness" in handing over documents and details to the CBI with regard to the investigation.
Besides the opposition, the deceased student's family also came out against the government, alleging that the government was deliberately trying to delay the CBI probe by not handing them over the necessary files and destroying the evidence.
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