Nithin Raj's Family Alleges He Was Called 'Stray Dog' in Class; Suspects Foul Play in Death

Kannur: The family of Nithin Raj, the first-year BDS student at Ancharakandy Medical College in Kannur who died on Friday, has made increasingly grave allegations against faculty members, with the student's brother-in-law Ashok revealing that teacher Dr Ram had publicly humiliated Nithin in class using casteist slurs and insults about his skin colour, calling him a "rotten dog" and "stray dog" in front of fellow students. The family says Nithin had reported this behaviour to them on multiple occasions and had complained about the teacher's conduct. Senior students had also previously raised complaints against Dr Ram, and Nithin had been aware of this.

The brother-in-law told the media that Nithin had been speaking happily with the family over the phone just before his death, and expressed deep suspicion about what could have happened in the two hours between that call and the time he was found fallen from the building. He questioned whether Nithin may have been pushed, pointing out that no one witnessed the incident. The family does not believe he died by suicide.

Nithin had joined the college for his BDS program in November last year. He was found near the college building at around 1.45 pm on Friday. His body was taken to Kannur Government Medical College at Pariyaram for post-mortem before being brought to his home in Uzhamalakkal, Thiruvananthapuram.

The college management has suspended department head Dr Ram and Dr Sangeetha pending investigation. Chakkarakkal Police have confirmed that an investigation has been launched based on the complaint filed by the family. The SFI district committee and the DYFI Ancharakandy block committee have demanded a comprehensive investigation and strict action against those responsible.