Family Alleges Caste-Based Harassment Drove Dental Student Nithin Raj to Death; Two Teachers Suspended

Kannur: The family of Nithin Raj, a first-year student at Ancharakandy Dental College who was found dead below a college building last Friday, has levelled serious allegations of sustained mental harassment against two faculty members, asserting that the teachers' conduct was responsible for his death. The college management has suspended Dental Anatomy department head Dr M K Ram and Associate Professor Dr Sangeetha pending investigation. Nithin's body will be brought to his home in Uzhamalakkal following post-mortem, after which funeral arrangements will be made.

Nithin's father Rajan told the media that teachers had publicly humiliated his son over his caste, skin colour, and economic background on repeated occasions. The family firmly maintains that Nithin would not have taken his own life and that the relentless psychological torment inflicted by the teachers drove him to his death.

Chakkarakkal Police have registered a case of unnatural death and commenced an investigation. The two suspended teachers will be questioned shortly, with police planning to record their statements in detail. The college authorities, however, have denied the family's allegations of caste-based abuse and other misconduct.

Calls are growing for a high-level investigation into the circumstances of the death on campus. The case has drawn significant public attention, with demands mounting that the full truth be established and those responsible held accountable.