Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University (KVASU) in Pookode, which was temporarily closed in the aftermath of the death of second year student Sidharthan JS, reopened on Monday, March 11. The university has appointed a warden for each floor of the men’s hostel, and installed CCTV cameras in five more locations at the hostel. Another warden has been appointed to monitor the students in the hostel.
The college was temporarily closed on March 4 after a series of protest marches by the Kerala Students Union (KSU) and Muslim Students Federation (MSF) on the campus
Sidharthan was found dead in the hostel washroom on February 18. Further investigation revealed that a bunch of students, including his classmates, seniors, and Students Federation of India (SFI) members, had tortured him for two days before his death. The group of students questioned and physically assaulted Sidharthan for allegedly misbehaving with a college student at the Valentines' Day celebration in the university. On March 8, Kerala Chief Minister Pnarayi Vijayan ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) enquiry into Sidharthan’s death case.
On March 9, a report from the anti-ragging squad, which took statements from 119 students, said that Sidharthan was assaulted at four different places — the hilltop near the water tank in front of the men’s hostel, room number 21 on the first floor of the hostel, the hostel courtyard, and the corridor at the entrance of the dormitory.