Protests erupt over RSS worker’s death as allegations surface

The controversy surrounding the alleged suicide of Ananthu Aji, a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker from Elikkulam in the district, appears to be escalating into a major political issue in Kottayam ahead of the upcoming local body elections.

A day after a new video surfaced on Ananthu’s social media page reiterating his allegations of sexual abuse at RSS camps, Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Youth Congress workers on Thursday took out protest marches at Ponkunnam demanding the arrest of those named in the video.

Shop attacked

During the protest, DYFI activists vandalised a shop run by the man who has been accused in connection with the death. The shop is located at Kappad, near Kanjirappally. A police team rushed to the spot and removed the protesters.

Meanwhile, District Congress Committee president Nattakom Suresh inaugurated a protest march taken out by the Youth Congress to the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Kanjirappally. In his address, Mr. Suresh accused the police of being reluctant in taking action in the case. Youth Congress workers later staged a sit-in on the road, which was soon dispersed by the police.

The controversy intensified after a video recorded by Ananthu days before his death was released on his Instagram account on Wednesday. In the recording, the 26-year-old alleged that he had been subjected to sexual abuse during RSS camps and he said the ordeal had caused him severe mental distress over the years.

The RSS, on its part, has also called for an impartial probe into the episode.