Dalit outfits call hartal over dental student’s death in Kerala

Dalit organisations in Kerala announced a statewide hartal seeking justice in the death of Nithin Raj, alleging caste-based harassment and police delay. The student died after falling from a building, with abetment and SC/ST Act cases registered

Thiruvananthapuram: Various Dalit organisations on Monday announced a state-wide hartal seeking justice in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj. The hartal will be observed on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm. As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have announced the strike.

Organisations requesting cooperation for the strike said that no vehicles will be forcibly stopped and that all essential services are exempted.

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Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries. Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student’s family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.

Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused in the case. KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj’s death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.

While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student’s death, police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed. The organisation alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.

KPSM further alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail. They said there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.