Kerala Man’s Suicide Sparks Probe Demands After Instagram Post Alleging Abuse At RSS Camps

Political parties and youth organisations in Kerala have demanded a probe after a 26-year-old software engineer from Kottayam died by suicide following an Instagram post in which he alleged sexual and physical abuse by members of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

According to The News Minute, the man was found dead in a lodge in Thampanoor, Thiruvananthapuram, on 9 October, a day after he was reported missing from a relative’s home. Police identified the body and sent it for post-mortem. Hours later, a scheduled post appeared on his Instagram profile, in which he described his experiences and asked that it be treated as a dying declaration.

In the note, the man said his decision to die by suicide was not linked to a failed relationship but to long-standing trauma. He wrote that he had been diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) several years earlier and later realised the condition was connected to “repressed trauma” from his time with the RSS. He said the trauma had contributed to his mental health struggles.

The post named a former neighbour identified as “NM”, described as an active RSS member, and alleged that NM began abusing him from the age of three. The man also claimed that he was sexually abused during the RSS’s Initial Training Camp (ITC) and Officers’ Training Camp (OTC). He wrote that he had suffered both sexual and physical abuse at RSS camps and had been beaten with a danda — a bamboo stick used in RSS drills.

“I have no anger towards anyone, except one person and an organisation, which is the RSS. My father made me join this group and where I am suffering lifelong trauma,” he wrote. “What I have written is what they did to me. But there is a lot of sexual and physical abuse that happens in their camps. I am able to speak because I came out of it. I know nobody will believe me, because I don't have any proof. I place my life as proof.”

He added that he believed he was not NM’s only victim and urged that children attending RSS shakhas and camps be protected and given proper counselling.

Police told The News Minute that an FIR has been registered under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (unnatural death). “We have seen the Instagram post. Currently we are investigating the case of suicide. We will proceed further only after getting the post-mortem report,” the Thampanoor station house officer said. “As per our preliminary investigation, he had not revealed details of the abuse to anyone.”

A relative told The News Minute that the family was unaware of the incidents described in the post and had only recently learnt of his mental health issues. “Police told us that they would investigate the incidents mentioned in the post. We have not taken any decision on filing a separate case,” the relative said. The family, he added, had long been supporters of the RSS, and the deceased had attended RSS camps in his childhood.

The man is survived by his mother and sister. His father, an RSS member, died six years ago.

The CPI(M), Congress, Youth Congress and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) have all called for a detailed investigation into the allegations and circumstances of the death. The News Minute reported that the DYFI has specifically demanded a probe into the case.

(With inputs from The News Minute)