Kannur/New Delhi/Thiruvananthapuram, April 13 (NationPress) The tragic demise of Nithin Raj, a BDS student at Ancharakandi Dental College in Kerala's Kannur district, has ignited significant protests, a series of investigations, and alarming allegations of ongoing harassment from faculty members.

Fellow students of Nithin Raj have made serious allegations against the Head of Department, Dr. M.K. Ram, claiming that he routinely resorted to intimidation, body shaming, and both mental and physical mistreatment.

Students report that the events leading to Nithin's passing showcase unprecedented cruelty, including strange punitive measures that allegedly psychologically and physically harmed students.

They categorically deny previous claims linking the suicide to threats from loan applications, asserting this narrative is fabricated to protect the college administration and implicated staff.

Students assert that Dr. Ram exercised excessive control over internal grading and viva assessments, leveraging this power to suppress dissent through threats of academic failure.

Examples of verbal degradation, including public insults in front of guardians, as well as physical violence such as beatings and coercing students into humiliating punishments, have been reported.

The protests have grown stronger, with students refusing to attend classes and demanding immediate intervention.

Members of the KSU and MSF organized a march towards the college, forcibly entering the campus and staging a sit-in, before police intervened and made arrests.

Protesters emphasized their refusal to allow any educator accused of misconduct, including making communal remarks, to evade accountability.

The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) has escalated the situation by filing a complaint with Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey and the National Medical Commission, insisting on a thorough and transparent investigation along with strict punitive measures against all culpable parties.

The complaint alleges that Nithin, a first-year student from Thiruvananthapuram, took his own life after enduring horrendous treatment, including caste-based and racial abuse from faculty members.

On a national level, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has initiated an inquiry following a complaint by BJP leader P. Shyamraj, instructing the state DGP to provide a report within five days.

Meanwhile, Kerala's Education Minister V. Sivankutty has assured that the government supports Nithin's family, committing to a comprehensive investigation and offering necessary assistance, including arranging a meeting with the Chief Minister.

Law enforcement has recorded two FIRs, one pertaining to the unnatural death and another against a loan application; however, discrepancies in the latter have raised further concerns.

Interviews from students and faculty are ongoing, while some teachers named in the case have reportedly gone into hiding, facing potential arrest on non-bailable charges.

As more students come forward, the demand for accountability and a high-level investigation continues to escalate.