New Delhi – A 26-year-old IT professional from Kerala has died by suicide, leaving behind a scheduled Instagram post in which he alleged repeated sexual abuse at a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) shakha during his childhood, triggering a wave of political reactions and demands for an investigation. The man, identified as Anandu Aji from Thampalakad in Kottayam district, was found dead in a lodge room in Thampanoor on October 9. In his note, he wrote that his suicide was not related to personal or financial issues but stemmed from anxiety, depression, and the trauma of childhood abuse. He accused a specific individual and the RSS as an organization, writing, “I’m not angry with anyone, except one person and an organisation. The organisation is RSS, which my father made me join. That’s where I’ve suffered lifelong trauma.”
Anandu alleged that he had been sexually abused continuously as a child by one person who was considered “like a brother” by his family, as well as by multiple unidentified members of the RSS. “I was like a sex tool for him. The sad part is, I only realised that this abuse was the cause of my mental illness when I was diagnosed with OCD,” his message read. The post, which went live shortly after his death, has ignited intense political debate and renewed scrutiny of alleged abuse within RSS shakhas.
Congress leader and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra called on the RSS to allow a full investigation, warning that the allegations point to “rampant sexual abuse” within the organization if proven true. “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. 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 wrote on X (formerly Twitter). The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), affiliated with the CPI(M), has also demanded a probe, with state general secretary V.K. Sanooj describing the death as “a warning” and reiterating long-standing accusations about abuse in shakhas.
RSS ‘prant pracharak’ S. Sudarshan has not responded to calls or messages regarding the allegations. The case has sparked nationwide outrage, with growing calls for a transparent, independent investigation into the claims raised in Anandu’s suicide note.