Sexual assault at fake NCC camp: Key accused dies by suicide

He was admitted to the Government Medical College hospital in Krishnagiri, where he was undergoing treatment for fracturing his leg when he attempted to escape from being caught by police.

Chennai:  In a twist, the 30-year-old man accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl and sexually harassing 12 other girls during a fake NCC camp that he conducted in a private school in Krishnagiri district in Tamil Nadu, died by suicide on Friday morning.

The accused’s father, Ashok Kumar, also died in an accident on Thursday night after falling off from his two-wheeler in an inebriated state near Kaveripattinam in the district.

Sivaramakrishnan, who conducted the fake camp by hoodwinking the school authorities, told the police during interrogation that he attempted suicide on August 17 after a case under the Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) was slapped against him. He also broke his leg after attempting to escape from the police when they rounded him up in his hideout in Coimbatore on August 19.

As many as 41 students, including 17 girls, participated in the “fake” NCC camp. Sivaramakrishnan, according to police, sexually assaulted the eighth standard student on the last day of the camp after asking her to come out of an auditorium. When the minor girl followed his instructions, the accused forced himself upon the girl and sexually assaulted her, the police had said.

A senior police officer in-charge of the investigations into the sexual abuse case said Sivaramakrishnan was shifted to Salem government medical college hospital on August 21 after doctors advised dialysis for him.

“He was being treated in Salem for the past two days. He was on ventilator support and passed away Friday morning,” the officer added.

Medical records accessed by DH showed that Sivaramakrishnan, who was married with a girl child, attempted suicide in July by consuming Ratol, a rate control paste, after a quarrel with his wife and was admitted to a private hospital in Krishnagiri. He was “forcibly discharged” by the hospital eight days later on July 17 after his attenders behaved in an “arrogant manner” with the staff, the records say.

The medical records also show Sivaramakrishnan was diagnosed with Diabetes Mellitus four years ago but didn’t take treatment for the same.

The officer also said the accused himself admitted to attempting suicide while he was in hiding. Sivaramakrishnan’s death comes just a day after as a Special Investigation Team headed by senior IPS officer S Bhavaneeswari took over the case, which sent shockwaves across the state. The deceased was among 11 persons who were arrested in connection with the incident.

Leader of Opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami raised doubts over the “twin deaths”, saying that people suspect that Sivaramakrishnan could have been killed due to fear that he might “drop names of influential people” who might have had connection with the incident. “The SIT should bring out the truth in the incident,” Palaniswami said.

After the incident came to light, the Krishnagiri District administration engaged therapists to provide counselling to the kids and their parents who were traumatised after the incident.

The government also constituted a Multi-Disciplinary Team headed by social welfare secretary Jayashree Muralidharan to talk to students and parents and come out with a detailed report within 15 days on ways to prevent such incidents. Muralidharan visited Krishnagiri on Thursday and met with students and parents.