"I know that mother's pain": Siddharth’s mother breaks silence to comfort Nithin Raj’s family

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: "I know that mother's pain; only I can truly understand it." Sheeba, the mother of JS Siddharth, was moved to tears upon seeing the inconsolable grief of Latha, the mother of Nithin Raj. Both women are bound by a tragic sisterhood: Sheeba’s son took his life following brutal ragging by SFI members at Pookode Veterinary College, while Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student at Ancharakandi Dental College, was driven to suicide by the cruelty of caste discrimination.

Sheeba’s eyes filled the moment she turned into the lane leading to Nithin’s house. Ignoring the surrounding crowd, she walked straight to the home. Standing before Nithin’s body, her composure broke. When Latha saw Sheeba, she burst into fresh cries of anguish.

"Do you see my son lying there, dressed in white?" Latha cried out. "Is this what we raised him for?"

Overwhelmed, Sheeba walked out of the room, sobbing. A bystander offered her a chair, and as she sat, she felt the weight of their shared agony. Sheeba realised that Latha, sitting by her son's body in the inner room, was echoing the very same trauma she had been living through.

Shared struggle for justice

"This is the first time I have left my house since my son’s death," Sheeba said, finally finding the strength to speak. "I haven't been able to face the world, but when I heard about Nithin, I couldn't stay away."

Her grief soon turned to a quiet, weary frustration regarding the lack of accountability in her own son's case:

"Siddharth’s murderers have still not been punished. The suspensions are just a smokescreen. The additional dean accused in the Pookode case was reinstated within a month, and the guilty students remain free. There is no fear of the law; the Left-wing teachers’ association even organised a 'bucket fund' to help the accused faculty fight their legal battles.

They will continue to do this as long as they do not fear the consequences. For two years, I have prayed that no other mother would suffer my fate. It seems my prayers have not yet been answered."