Suicide of Kottayam youth alleging sexual abuse by RSS members: Police to record family’s statement

Four days after Kottayam Ponkunnam native Anandu Aji (26) was found dead in a hotel room in Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram, the police team will record the statements from his family and friends on Monday.

Anandu, in a suicide note that he had scheduled to be published on social media after his death, alleged that he had faced continuous sexual and physical abuse by RSS leaders during his childhood. 

Speaking to Onmanorama, an official of the Thampanoor Police Station said the delay in taking statements was due to concerns over the emotional state of the victim's relatives. He confirmed that the investigation team would soon proceed with taking their statements.

Anandu specifically named a person referred to as NM, a member of the group, accusing him of sexually abusing him when he was between three and four years old. The police said that the person referred to as NM has not yet been identified, and that further evidence will be gathered based on the statements to be recorded. 

In the 15-page suicide note, Anandu said that the trauma he faced during childhood led to constant panic and anxiety attacks later in his life. He also added that he became an obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patient due to this incident. "The main reason that I am ending my life is due to anxiety and constant panic attacks. I can't take it anymore. I thought of ending it all during those periods. I am having anxiety attack even when I am writing this," he wrote. 

He further alleged that he had been sexually abused at two RSS camps during his childhood. "I have faced sexual abuse at two RSS camps named ITC and OTC. I don't remember the names of those who abused me. They also physically harassed me. They beat me up for no reason. I was assaulted using their danda," he said. 

In the note, he accused members of the organisation of harbouring hatred and being abusers. He also claimed that he was not the only one to have faced sexual harassment within the organisation, stating that several others had similar experiences.

"I am able to say this because I have come out of the organisation. I know no one will believe me because I don’t have any proof. I am giving my life as proof. I am saying this so that no other child should ever go through what I have faced," the note read.

Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi has demanded a thorough investigation into the incident. "Anandu Aji alleged that he was abused again and again by multiple members of the RSS. He clearly stated that he was not the only victim and rampant sexual abuse is taking place in RSS camps. If true, then this is horrifying. Lakhs of young children and teenagers attend these camps all over India. The leadership of the RSS must take immediate action, they must come clean," she said in a post on X.