‘High level probe needed in Nithin Raj’s death, caste discrimination in colleges is concerning’

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Congress Working Committee member Ramesh Chennithala demanded a high-level inquiry into the mysterious death of Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student of Kannur Dental College. The government should seriously consider the stand of the parents and relatives that caste and colour discrimination was behind his death. He also demanded that the government take immediate steps to bring the responsible before law.

‘This issue should not be closed by suspending just two teachers. The parents are firm in their stand that their son has been subjected to severe caste discrimination. Nithin Raj was subjected to cruel taunts along with abuse on the basis of caste and colour. The parents said that despite complaining to the teachers and department heads, there has been no result. The government should take all these allegations seriously and order a detailed investigation.

It is worrying that caste discrimination exists on a large scale, including in our colleges, even though pretends to be a renaissance Kerala. Attacks against scheduled castes have increased significantly during the last ten years of CPM rule,’ blamed Chennithala.

Meanwhile, an audio message has emerged in which Nithin Raj telling his friends that he was abused by teachers en masse. He is also heard saying that a teacher called him an idiot and that the staff room is a place where people attack collectively. He also said that his family was mocked and that his internal marks were deliberately reduced, allegedly to surprise his family. He further reveals that he was publicly humiliated in front of classmates.

Nithin was the son of Rajan, a painter, and Latha, residents of Uzhamalakkal at Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram. Around 1:30 pm on Friday, a teacher informed his mother about the incident. After the postmortem at Pariyaram Government Medical College, his body was kept for public viewing at the college yesterday and later was brought home in Uzhamalakkal this morning.