A massive political controversy has erupted in Kerala following the death of a 26-year-old techie, who allegedly left a suicide note on Instagram, claiming sexual abuse at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) Shakha.
The deceased has been identified as Anandu Aji, a native of Thampalakad in Kottayam district, Kerala. He was reportedly found dead in a tourist lodge room in Thiruvananthapuram last week.
On the same day, his purported suicide note appeared on his Instagram account.
“I’m committing suicide not because of any girl, love affair, debt, or anything like that. I’m doing this because of my anxiety and depressive episodes…I’m not angry with anyone, except one person and an organisation. The organisation is RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh), which my father (a very good person) made me join. That’s where I’ve suffered lifelong trauma, from the organisation and that person,” Anandu wrote in a scheduled post on Instagram.
Narrating his ordeal, he added, “I was continuously sexually abused by a person when I was a child. I’ve also been subjected to sexual abuse by several members of the RSS. I don’t know who they were. But I will expose the person who abused me when I was just 3–4 years old.”
He further wrote, “He constantly abused me and did a lot of things to my body. I was like a sex tool for him. The sad part is, I only realized that this abuse was the cause of my mental illness when I was diagnosed with OCD. Until then, I believed it hadn’t caused me any problems. He was like a brother and was considered a relative by my family.”
Reacting to his death, Wayanad MP and senior Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi said his allegations of rampant sexual abuse in RSS camps are “horrifying” and must be fully investigated.
“The RSS must allow these allegations to be thoroughly investigated. In his suicide message, Anandu Aji alleged that he was abused repeatedly by multiple members of the RSS. He clearly stated that he was not the only victim and that sexual abuse is rampant in RSS camps. If true, this is horrifying,” Gandhi said.
Highlighting that lakhs of young children and teenagers attend these camps across India, she demanded immediate action from the RSS leadership, saying the organisation must come clean.
“Sexual abuse of boys is a scourge as widespread as that of girls. The code of silence around these unspeakably heinous crimes has to be broken,” she added.
RSS denies allegations
Meanwhile, the RSS has dismissed the allegations as “baseless,” while calling for a comprehensive probe.
In a statement signed by RSS Sah Pranth Karyavah KB Sreekumar, the Sangh demanded a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Anandu Aji’s death.
“The suicide note, which appeared on Instagram and other social media platforms soon after his death, contains dubious and baseless allegations against the Sangh, which he claims as the cause of his suicide,” the statement read.
The RSS also condoled Aji’s death and said the Sangh stands firmly with his family.
“We firmly believe that an independent enquiry will not only reveal the real cause of his unnatural death but also ensure the innocence of RSS in this unfortunate incident,” the statement added.