A protest in Kerala over the suspected suicide of a Dalit student at a dental college turned violent as Youth League activists clashed with police, demanding justice and alleging institutional harassment.
Key Points
- Youth League activists protested at a dental college in Kerala following the death of a Dalit student, Nithin Raj.
- Protesters clashed with police, demanding action against faculty members allegedly responsible for Raj's death.
- Dalit organisations are alleging institutional murder and demanding compensation for the student's family.
- Police have registered a case against two faculty members for abetment of suicide and under the SC/ST Act.
- The student's family claims the loan issue alone could not have led to his death, suggesting other factors were involved.
Youth League (YL) activists on Thursday held a protest march to the private dental college at Anjarakandy here where a first-year BDS Dalit student died in a suspected suicide earlier this month.
Activists of YL, the youth wing of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), shouted slogans against the institution and then circumvented the barriers set up by the police, which were present in large numbers with riot gear, to rush into the main entrance of the college.
As the police tried to stop and remove them, the protestors clashed with them, resulting in push-and-pull between the two sides within the college campus, according to visuals shown on TV channels.
Demands for Justice in Dalit Student Death Case
The protestors are demanding action against the faculty members allegedly responsible for the death of Nithin Raj (22), who was found critically injured after falling from the college building on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.
Recently, the action council of several Dalit organisations in Kerala demanded Rs 10 crore compensation from the state government for the student's family and also called for a statewide hartal on April 28 to protest his death, alleging it was institutional murder rather than suicide.
Police Investigation and Allegations of Caste Discrimination
Police have registered a case against two faculty members for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations that Raj was harassed over his caste and complexion.
Dr M K Ram and Dr Sangeetha have been named as accused in the case for abetment of suicide and offences under the SC/ST Act. They have filed petitions seeking anticipatory bail before a district court.
College Management's Statement on Student Loan
According to the college management, Raj had taken a loan through an app, following which one of his teachers began receiving frequent calls and messages from loan operators, which she reported to the principal.
Police have lodged two FIRs against separate online loan apps in connection with the student's death and arrested three persons from Uttar Pradesh in one of the cases.
The three arrested individuals were reportedly running a loan app operation from Noida in Uttar Pradesh.
Raj's family has claimed that the loan issue alone could not have led to his death.
