Another audio clip, purportedly of Nithin Raj, the first-year BDS student who was found dead at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy, surfaced on Wednesday, suggesting that he had apprehensions of a possible dismissal from the college over his dispute with Dr Ram. However, in the same clip, Nithin is also heard saying he would become a doctor nonetheless.

Nithin (22) was found lying injured on a stone-paved area between the administrative block and the hospital building on the campus around 1.30 pm on April 10, in what is suspected to be a case of suicide. Following his death, audio clips purportedly sent by Nithin to his friends were circulated in the media, raising serious allegations of abuse against his teacher, Dr Ram.

“I don’t know if they will drop me,” (sic) Nithin can be heard saying. “I don’t care what anyone says. I want to study and become a doctor,” he adds.

In the clip, Nithin also speaks of a teacher who had been supportive of him. “He told me, ‘Let’s see what they will do to kick you out,’ supporting me in the matter,” he says. Though he describes the teacher, he does not give any name.

Nithin’s sister Nikhitha told Onmanorama that the audio clips were most likely part of a conversation with his friends. “I believe he is talking about the consequences of being targeted by Dr M K Ram. He feared that he would not be able to complete his course because of Dr Ram’s animosity towards him,” she said.

She also said the family was moving ahead with plans to file a fresh complaint against the principal, Dr Vinod Mony, and Dr Latha Sasidharan with both the Kannur Police and the Thiruvananthapuram Police. “We need an explanation as to what actually happened. We have been kept in the dark for so long and can no longer go on like this,” she said.

“Nithin would not have ended his life over such a small amount. There were days when our family starved because we did not have enough money, but we all survived it. He survived it. So I know that the loan app alone did not push him to take the extreme step,” she added.

In the audio clips released on Sunday, Nithin had alleged that during a visit to the staff room, a faculty member, allegedly Dr Ram, called him an idiot and threatened physical harm. “When I visited the staff room, he said, ‘You are an idiot.’ To which I responded, ‘Same to you,’” he said. “He said he would cut off my limbs if I left the premises and told me that I would have to live like an invalid,” he added. Nithin said he then responded to the threats, stating that he would like to see that happen.

Following the developments, Dr Ram, along with K T Sangeetha Nambiar, was suspended from the college and later named as accused in the case. They have been charged under Section 3(1)(r) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which deals with intentional insult or intimidation of an SC/ST member in public view, and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).