Following the tragic death of a Kerala medical student, investigations are underway into allegations of caste-based harassment and the role of online loan apps, prompting calls for systemic changes in educational institutions to protect vulnerable students.
Key Points
- Kerala Chief Minister condemns the alleged suicide of a BDS student, citing emotional harassment and caste discrimination as potential factors.
- Police have registered a case against faculty members under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, investigating allegations of caste-based harassment.
- Political parties and organisations are offering financial assistance and support to the student's family, including building a new house.
- The Indian Medical Association (IMA) suggests mandatory mental health screening and grievance redressal mechanisms in educational institutions to prevent similar incidents.
- Investigations are underway into both the alleged harassment and the student's involvement with online loan apps, with calls for strong action against those responsible.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Tuesday termed as "painful and unacceptable" the alleged suicide of a first-year BDS student at Ancharakandi Private Medical College in Kannur, saying such incidents should not happen in a progressive state like Kerala.
The CM, in a Facebook post, said that it was unforgivable to push a brilliant student to his death.
He also said the entire state stood with the victim's family.
Later, Congress leader V D Satheesan promised a house to the student's family.
A statement issued by his office said that Rs 5 lakh will be given to the family initially to begin the work, and the second phase of payment will be made once construction commences.
In the evening, the CPI(M) announced that it would build a house for the student's family.
CPI(M) leaders, including state General Education Minister V Sivankutty and Rajya Sabha MP A A Rahim, announced the decision at a press conference held here.
Rahim said that CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan would lay the foundation stone of the house on April 19 and the construction would start the following day.
Nithin Raj R L (22), a first-year BDS student from Puthukulangara in Thiruvananthapuram district, was found critically injured near the medical college block after falling from a building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
His family alleged that Raj was subjected to emotional harassment on caste and complexion grounds by two faculty members, following which a case was registered against Dental Anatomy Department Head Dr M K Ram and Associate Professor K T Sangeetha Nambiar for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Sivankutty, at the press conference, said that the college management was also responsible for what happened as it had not taken any action against the concerned teachers based on the complaints of students.
"We expect those responsible for the incident will be arrested soon," he said.
Besides the case under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the police has also registered an FIR against unidentified loan app operators in connection with Raj's death, as he had taken a loan through an online loan app.
After he defaulted on repayment, the app operators allegedly began contacting the assistant professor.
The FIR stated that the accused contacted the woman faculty member, Nambiar, via MMS and WhatsApp, threatening her over repayment and attempting to siphon off money illegally.
His family, however, claimed that Raj was murdered and held the college faculty responsible for his death.
His sister, on Tuesday, told the media that defaulting on the loan payment was not the reason behind her brother's death.
"Something else happened there. We will not allow his death to be restricted to a loan default issue. If my brother does not get justice, none of us will live any longer," she claimed tearfully and accused Dr Ram of being responsible for her brother's death.
During the day, Mohanan Kunnummal, Vice Chancellor of Kerala University of Health Sciences (KUHS), visited Raj's home and, after that, said there will be a comprehensive investigation into the incident and the background of the medical college.
"Strong action will be taken by KUHS in the matter. We will also consider whether such colleges should continue operating," he said.
He said that he will inform the Governor, who is the Chancellor of universities in the state, about his findings and the proposed action.
IMA's Recommendations for Preventing Student Harassment
The Indian Medical Association (IMA), in a statement, termed Raj's death as "sad and serious" and emphasised that any kind of mental harassment or humiliating behaviour towards students was never acceptable.
To prevent recurrence of such incidents, the IMA made several suggestions, which included mandatory mental health screening and timely counselling in educational institutions, setting up independent and credible student grievance redressal panels and anti-harassment cells and sensitising teachers on how they approach and communicate with students.
Besides these, it also suggested having a mechanism for anonymous complaints and a prompt response, as well as a mentor system for each student to identify and resolve their academic and psychological problems.
The IMA also called for a speedy police investigation into the incident to bring out the truth.
Protests Held
Meanwhile, activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), affiliated to the CPI(M), held a protest march to the clinic of Dr Ram in Kannur.
