The suicide of a first-year BDS Dalit student in Kerala’s Kannur district has sparked widespread outrage, with various organizations taking to the streets to demand strict action against the teachers held responsible. (DC) Student, youth, women organisations, call it “institutional murder” demand stringent action against accuse
Thiruvananthapuram: The suicide of a first-year BDS Dalit student in Kerala’s Kannur district has sparked widespread outrage, with various organizations taking to the streets to demand strict action against the teachers held responsible.
On Monday, student, youth, and women’s groups linked to the CPM, Congress, and BJP staged separate protest marches to Kannur Dental College in Anjarakandy, accusing the police of protecting the culprits. Protesters called the death an “institutional murder” and demanded justice. Nithin, 26, was found on April 10 lying on a stone-paved area between the campus’s administrative block and hospital building.
The police registered a case of unnatural death under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). They also booked two teachers, Dr. K. M. Ram, head of the department, and K. T. Sangeetha Nambiar, after Nithin’s family alleged harassment and caste-based abuse. The absconding teachers have been charged under Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which addresses intentional insult or intimidation of an SC/ST community member in public, and Section 108 of the BNS for abetment of suicide. The case followed the emergence of audio clips in which Nithin alleged caste-based harassment. On Monday, a police team from Kannur visited Nithin’s home in Uzhamalakkal, Thiruvananthapuram district, to record statements from his parents and relatives.
A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT), including cyber experts, has been formed to investigate the case. Three audio clips linked to Nithin have emerged, in which he accuses a faculty member of making casteist remarks, insulting him, and issuing threats. In one clip, he says he was called an “idiot” in the staff room and threatened with physical harm. “I tolerated the insults as much as I could,” he says in the recording.
Dental College Principal Vinod Moni, however, told media persons on the day of the incident that no complaints related to caste abuse have been received. He said the academic administration will fully cooperate with the police for a detailed probe.
Police are also looking into a loan angle
Kannur City Police earlier mentioned a loan repayment issue as a possible factor in Nithin Raj’s death by suicide. His family stated that he had taken the loan with their knowledge to pay for his mother’s treatment.
Kannur City police commissioner Nidhinraj said that an analysis of Nithin’s mobile phone call records showed he had taken a loan through a mobile app between December and January. Nithin had received several calls about the loan, and the lending agency had even obtained the contact number of one of his teachers. When the loan went unpaid, the agency reached out to the teacher, with similar calls made on April 10, which may have caused mental stress. However, the family said neither the teacher nor the institution informed them about the matter. “They have my contact details; they could have told me at least once. I would have cleared my son’s dues,” said Nithin’s father.
Students allege harassment
Some students from Ancharakandi Dental College revealed on Monday that the accused teacher, Ram, was a constant source of trouble. “He often uses foul language, body shames girls, tells boys to hit girls, and threatens to lower marks,” said one student.
“Even though we faced harassment, we stayed silent out of fear. He would claim that all the external examiners were his colleagues or juniors, and if we complained, he’d instruct them to fail us,” added another studen
Courtesy : Deccan Chronicle
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