Wayanad: In a latest development in the ragging death of Pookode Veterinary university student J S Sidharthan, the Judicial Commission report has held the then Vice Chancellor (VC), Dr M R Saseendranath, guilty. The report stated that the VC failed to act in a timely manner. 

Justice M Hariprasad submitted the report to the Governor. 

Earlier, the High Court had passed a verdict in favour of the Governor's decision to suspend the VC. 

Sidharthan was found hanging in his hostel room on February 18. A huge furore had broken out after evidence surfaced that Sidharthan was subjected to brutal assault by a group of students in the college, most of them belonging to the SFI, the student’s wing of the CPM.  

Sidharthan, who was a second year Bachelor of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry student, was found hanging in the bathroom of his hostel on February 18.
His parents had claimed that some of his college mates told them that he was beaten to death by some local SFI leaders and activists.
The father contended that according to the postmortem report, his son's body had three days' worth of injuries and an empty stomach, which indicated that he was brutally beaten up and not given any food.
The police, which had initially registered a case of unnatural death, had later booked 12 students for various offences, including abetment of suicide, wrongful restraint and voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, under the IPC and the Kerala Prohibition of Ragging Act.
Later, the number of accused increased to 18.