BDS student’s death: Kerala HC seeks govt’s views on pre-arrest bail plea by dept head

Kochi: High court on Friday sought instructions from the state govt on a pre-arrest bail plea filed by M Kodanda Ram, head of the department of dental anatomy at Ancharakandy Dental College, Kannur, in an abetment of suicide case related to the death of Nithin Raj, a BDS student.Justice M B Snehalatha further adjourned the petition to May 21. Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student, died on April 10 after sustaining severe injuries in a fall from a college building. Police subsequently registered a case based on a complaint by his family, alleging that Ram and other faculty members had subjected him to caste-based discrimination and harassment, which allegedly drove him to suicide. The Thalassery sessions court had dismissed Ram's anticipatory bail plea on April 24, prompting him to move HC.In his petition, Ram contended that Raj had availed a loan through a mobile application and had provided the contact number of a teacher to the money lenders. Following a default in repayment, the lenders allegedly contacted the teacher repeatedly, compelling her to lodge a complaint before the principal.Based on the teacher's complaint, Raj was summoned to the principal's office, questioned, and it was decided to file a formal complaint. Ram further claimed that Raj left the office with a preconceived intention to commit suicide. He also submitted that, at that point, there had been no allegation of harassment or torture against him or the other faculty members.