Special punishment for girl students, brutal body shaming; Dr Ram 'animal' not human

KANNUR: The teachers of Anjarakandy dental college, accused of using the casteist slur that led to the death of a student, are currently absconding. The police have confirmed that the head of the anatomy department, Dr M.K. Ram, and Associate Professor Dr K.T. Sangeetha Nambiar, have gone absconding and their phones are switched off. They went absconding after a non-bailable case was registered against them under sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Dr Ram, a native of Karnataka, has been a teacher in the college for 15 years. Dr Sangeetha is a native of Kannur's Ezhome.

The students who reached Nithin’s house in Aryanad broke into tears after meeting his parents. Nithin Raj's classmate Archa called the head of the oral pathology department, Dr K. Ram, an animal.

"Students would be addressed as Blackie, Whitey, Cockroach, Skinny, based in thier body and colour. If the student is Christian, he would ask Bible questions and humiliate them.

Nithin was targeted and humiliated. Many people did not file complaints out of fear. I don't know what will happen to me after the revelation. But I can't help but say it. I can't sleep, and I have not eaten anything. Nithin was absent that day. It was while we were having food that news reached us that he jumped from the building.” Archa, classmate of Nithin, broke into tears after saying this. Keerthi, a final year student, also said that she had filed a complaint against Dr K. Ram earlier and didn't know if it had reached the authorities.

The student revealed that Dr Ram employed boys to beat the girls. Those who talked in a low voice were subjected to this treatment. If hit lightly, Ram would order the student to hit the girl harder. One victim said that she still faces difficulty erasing the incident from her mind. The students allege that hitting on the head and pulling ears were common punishments.

Dr Ram was suspended for two months last year for physically abusing first-year students. He started using boys to beat the girls after he returned from the suspension. The students allege that even though an entire batch complained to the university dean, no action was taken beyond suspension.