The Congress on Monday (October 13, 2025) hit out at both the Union and Kerala governments, questioning why the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh was not named in the first information report filed in connection with the death of a software professional in the State.
Anandu Aji, 26, a native of Elikkulam in Kottayam, was found dead at a hotel room in Thampanoor, Thiruvananthapuram on October 9. The death of Mr. Aji, who was an RSS volunteer, triggered a political uproar after a note, which surfaced on his social media account soon after his death, accused a few individuals, including fellow RSS workers, of sexual abuse.
While the RSS on Monday (October 13) joined calls for an investigation, the BJP accused the Congress of creating a “fake narrative” and giving a political colour to the incident.
Addressing a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi, the party’s media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said that in his social media post before committing suicide, Mr. Aji had alleged that he was subjected to sexual abuse since the age of four years in camps run by the Sangh.
“Anandu mentioned the name of RSS multiple times in his post, but the name of RSS is not even mentioned in the FIR. What kind of terror is this... If the name of RSS does not even figure in the FIR, can one expect a fair probe,” he said.
Terming it a very serious issue, Mr. Khera said it was a shame if the system was “afraid” of the RSS. Questioning the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on the death of the IT professional, Mr. Khera claimed that the government at the Centre is “of the RSS, by the RSS and for the RSS”.
“The Congress demands that the RSS be named in the FIR and a fair, impartial and time-bound investigation be launched into the tragic death of Anandu Aji,” Mr. Khera said.
In a post on X on Sunday night, Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had alleged, “The RSS must allow these allegations to be investigated fully. In his suicide message Anandu Aji alleged that he was abused again and again by multiple members of the RSS.” “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 said.
The RSS, meanwhile, has joined calls for an investigation. In a statement, K.B. Sreekumar, Saha Prantha Karyavah (South Kerala) of the organisation, called for a thorough and impartial probe into the events leading to Mr. Aji’s death and the suicide note that surfaced on social media platforms shortly afterward. “The note contains dubious and baseless allegations against the Sangh, which are cited as the reason for his suicide,” a statement said.
The RSS said it had lodged a formal complaint with the Kottayam District Police, and described Mr. Aji’s death as “sad and unfortunate”. Mr. Aji’s late father too had also served as a karyakartha of the RSS, it said.
“We firmly believe that an independent inquiry will not only bring out the real cause of his unnatural death but also establish the innocence of the RSS in this unfortunate incident,” the statement added.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India and Youth Congress have already filed police complaints over the incident, though the police are yet to register any cases based on these complaints.
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