Governor Arif Mohammed Khan suspends V-C of Kerala Veterinary University over student death

Khan, in the order of suspension, said that the report given by the VC -- Prof (Dr) M R Saseendranath -- was 'a testimony to the gross dereliction of duty on the part of the Vice Chancellor' during the developments that led to the death of 20-year-old Siddharthan on February 18.

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has placed under suspension vice-chancellor of the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University M R Saseendranath in connection with the death of a student allegedly following mob-trial and brutal ragging.

The Governor, by exercising his powers and chancellor, also decided to initiate a judicial probe by seeking service of a judge from the Kerala High Court. He also appointed former professor P C Saseendran as officiating vice-chancellor. 

The Governor's moves are a major embarrassment to the ruling CPM in Kerala as the key accused in those involved in the brutal ragging and mob-trial of second year student J S Sidharathan are workers of CPM's students' outfit SFI.

Moreover, Kerala animal husbandry minister J Chinchu Rani, who is the pro-chancellor, even defended the dean of the College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences M K Narayanan, even as parents of Sidharath's parents were also raising serious allegations against him.

In the order suspending the vice-chancellor, Khan said that there was gross dereliction of duty on the part of the vice-chancellor.

Later talking to reporters, Khan said that the death of Sidharath was a clear case of murder as he was denied food for more than 48 hours and he suffered brutal torture for three days as per postmortem report.

Meanwhile, all the 18 accused in the  case registered in connection with Sidharath's death were held by the police.