‘Hartal’ tomorrow in Keralam over BDS student’s death

AS many as 52 organisations will participate in the statewide ‘hartal’, or strike, to protest against the death of a first-year student who was allegedly harassed over caste at Kannur Dental College in Kerala’s Anjarakandy, Onmanorama reported.

The southern state has been boiling over the death of Nithin Raj, with the Nithin Raj Action Council - formed by 52 Dalit organisations along with other like-minded groups - alleging serious lapses in the investigation.

The demonstration, led by the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council and supported by Dalit and Adivasi organisations, is scheduled from 6 am to 6 pm.

What are the protesters demanding?

The Action Council has demanded a probe under High Court supervision, implementation of the Rohith Vemula Act - a proposed anti-discrimination law for educational institutions, ₹10 crore compensation for Nithin Raj’s family, and revocation of the affiliation of Anjarakandy Dental College, local media reported.
What will remain open during the hartal?

The action council has said that essential services will remain operational; however, it did not clarify what is expected to remain closed.

While essential services are expected to function normally, markets, educational institutions, transport and business activities may witness disruptions.

Speaking to Onmanorama, Rajkumar Karuvarth, Kannur district general secretary of the Bus Operators Association, said that private bus services would remain unaffected in the district. The Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has also announced that shops would remain functional.

What happened to Nithin Raj?

Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakandy in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.

Kannur police, who initially registered a case of unnatural death in connection with the student’s demise, later booked two faculty members — Dr Ram and Dr Sangeetha Nambiar — 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.

An associate professor of Kannur Dental College and an accused in the case related to the death of a student allegedly harassed over caste appeared before the investigation team here on Monday, police said.

Dr Sangeetha Nambiar (56), Associate Professor in the Department of Oral Pathology at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakkandy, and the second accused in the case, appeared before the Kannur Assistant Commissioner of Police in the morning, news agency PTI reported.

On Saturday, the Kannur District and Sessions Court granted anticipatory bail to Nambiar, while denying it to the prime accused, Dr M K Ram, Head of the Department.

Police officials said Nambiar appeared before the ACP, accompanied by her lawyer.

After recording her statement, police formally arrested her and released her on bail as directed by the court, officials told a news agency.

Police said the search for Ram is still underway.

While hearing the anticipatory bail plea, the court observed that no evidence against Nambiar had emerged during the police investigation so far.

The court ordered that she be granted bail in the event of arrest upon furnishing a bond of ₹50,000 along with two solvent sureties.

It also directed her to appear before the investigating officer every Saturday between 9 am and 1 pm for three months.