BJP seeks probe into Kerala techie's death, slams Cong for playing 'dastardly' politics

New Delhi, Oct 13 (PTI) The BJP on Monday demanded a "free and fair" probe into the alleged suicide of a Kerala IT professional and alleged that the Congress is playing "dastardly politics" over the incident to malign the image of the RSS.

The ruling party also accused the Congress of creating a "fake narrative" and giving a political colour to the case, claiming the opposition party is not a well wisher of Dalits but a neo-feudal organisation.

Anandu Aji (26), a software engineer from Thampalakkad in Kottayam district, was found dead at a lodge in Thampanoor in Thiruvananthapuram on October 9. He was an RSS activist who belonged to a family associated with the organisation.

A day after his death, a scheduled post appeared on his Instagram account in which he allegedly held the RSS responsible for his death, accusing a man named N M — reportedly close to his family — of sexually abusing him from a young age.

In the purported suicide note, he also alleged sexual harassment during RSS camps by other people in the organisation without taking their names and said he had been diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) due to the trauma of sexual abuse.

The police, however, have not named the RSS or its members in the FIR, nor has his family lodged a complaint against them so far.

The Congress on Monday slammed the Centre and the Left government in Kerala over the alleged suicide and demanded that the RSS be named in the FIR and an impartial and time-bound investigation be launched into Aji’s death.

Hitting back, BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi termed the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide as suspicious and demanded an "in-depth as well as free and fair" investigation into the case at the earliest.

"This incident is very unfortunate and painful. But, the more painful is the dastardly politics which the Congress is trying to play to malign the image of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh," the BJP Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress is doing so because of its "habit and perpetual thought process against the RSS ideology of Hindutava", he charged.

After Independence, the Congress banned the RSS thrice and "every time they (Congress) fell flat in the court of law", the BJP leader added.

Trivedi said, "The death of Sri Anandu Aji in Kerala is very unfortunate and painful. At this point, the BJP expresses its concerns and sympathy towards the kith and kin of the bereaved." "And, we also strongly demand that there should be an in-depth as well as free and fair inquiry at the earliest in this suspicious incident so that the veil of suspicion looming over it is totally removed and the picture becomes clear," he added.

The BJP leader said that RSS leaders have faced several "assassination" attempts.

"The Congress should remember that a number of RSS workers have been assassinated even in Kerala on political grounds during both the UDF and Left rule," he said.

Trivedi said the RSS, which recently completed 100 years of its founding, is an organisation whose workers and office bearers have laid down their lives for the cause of the national unity and integration.

"Now in order to malign the image, the Congress' attempt to present a conclusion without any inquiry into the case is nothing but the nefarious design of the party due to its hatred towards the RSS ideology," he said.

"This is another dastardly character assassination attempt by the Congress which we strongly condemn," the BJP leader added.

Another BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash said the Congress has always been anti-Dalit and anti-deprived.

"...intentionally a fake narrative is being created. The Congress is trying to give political colour by linking unrelated incidents. In the country's history, the Congress is the most anti-Dalit party," he said at a press conference.

"Today Congress leaders are pretending to be well wishers of Dalits but they should introspect. Dalits in the country know how they misbehaved with B R Ambedkar...they also insulted Babu Jagjivan Ram who was a Dalit. They (the Congress)are the neo-feudal organisation," he said.

Meanwhile, the RSS also demanded a comprehensive probe into the circumstances that led to the "unnatural death" of Aji in Kerala and his purported suicide note that appeared on social media.

In a statement, RSS Dakshin Kerala prant's joint general secretary K B Sreekumar claimed that Aji’s suicide note, which appeared on Instagram and some other social media platforms soon after his death, contains some "dubious and baseless" allegations against Sangh.

Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday took to X demanding that the RSS must allow the allegations to be investigated fully.

"In his suicide message 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," she had said. PTI GJS PK PK KVK KVK