Kannur Dental College Teachers Move Court for Bail in Student Suicide Case
Two teachers from Kannur Dental College in Anjarakkandy, who are facing charges of abetment to suicide and caste-based harassment in the death of BDS student Nithin Raj, approached the Thalassery sessions court on Friday seeking anticipatory bail. The accused, Dr M K Ram, head of the dental anatomy department, and associate professor Dr Sangeetha Nambiar, have been absconding since the incident.
Teachers Deny Involvement, Cite Loan App Threats
In their bail petition, Dr Ram and Dr Sangeetha Nambiar claimed they had no role in the student's tragic death. They argued that Nithin Raj committed suicide due to threats from a loan app, specifically stating that Dr Ram was not present in the principal's room on the day of the incident. The court has scheduled the bail plea for a hearing on April 22.
The court rejected the accused's request for interim protection from arrest until the hearing date. This decision came after strong opposition from public prosecutor Advocate Ajith Kumar K. The teachers' move to seek bail follows mounting public outrage and ongoing student protests demanding action against them.
Police Register Case Against Loan App for Harassment
In a parallel development, Chakkarakkal police on Friday registered a case against the loan app Insta Pay for allegedly harassing Nithin Raj. According to the FIR, Nithin had taken a loan of Rs 15,000 from the app at an interest rate exceeding 36%. People associated with the app repeatedly contacted him, threatening him over the recovery of the loan amount with interest.
The case has been filed under multiple legal provisions:
- Section 308 (extortion) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- Section 13 (penalty for the harassment of debtors) of the Kerala Money Lenders Act
- Sections 9(1)(a) and 9(2) of the Kerala Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act
Police stated that an investigation is underway, and mobile call data records (CDR) of Nithin revealed that the loan agency had called the student multiple times. Nithin Raj was found dead on April 10 after allegedly jumping from a building on the college campus. His family had earlier raised allegations against Dr Ram, including claims of caste-based harassment.
