A 22-year-old first-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) student, Nithin Raj R.L, was found dead on April 10 after allegedly falling from a five-storey building on the campus of Anjarakandy Dental College in Kannur, Kerala, triggering serious allegations of faculty harassment, caste discrimination and skin tone bias.
Nithin, a native of Nedumangad in Thiruvananthapuram district, was discovered critically injured on the college premises on Friday afternoon and was rushed to hospital, where he was later declared dead. Chakkarakkal police have registered a case of unnatural death and launched a probe into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
His family, who work as daily wage labourers, alleged that Nithin had been facing sustained mental harassment from the head of the department and other teachers. They claimed he was repeatedly targeted over his caste identity and skin tone. The family specifically accused the department head, Dr M K Ram, of threatening to cut his internal marks, an allegation that has intensified concern over the case.
The incident has also drawn the attention of the Kerala State Human Rights Commission, which has registered a suo motu case and directed police to submit a detailed report into the matter.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor posted on X, “Deeply anguished to learn of the tragic death of Nithin Raj, a young BDS student from Thiruvananthapuram, at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy. Audio recordings now reveal what his family has long alleged — relentless verbal abuse, casteist slurs, threats, and deliberate academic sabotage by faculty. A bright young life, extinguished by a toxic campus.”
Nithin Raj’s body was later brought to his home in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was cremated in the presence of grieving relatives, friends and local residents.
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