Kerala hartal by Dalit organisations on Tuesday over BDS student's death; shops, buses to operate normally

A statewide hartal will be observed on Tuesday by Dalit organisations demanding the arrest of those responsible for the death of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy.

The strike, called by the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council along with Dalit and Adivasi organisations, will be observed from 6 am to 6 pm. As many as 52 organisations are leading the protest.

The action council has said that essential services will be exempted and that vehicles would not be forcibly stopped. It also appealed to the public to cooperate.

The organisations have put forward a series of demands, including the implementation of the Rohit Vemula Act, ₹10 crore compensation for Nithin Raj’s family, revocation of the affiliation of Anjarakandy Dental College, and a judicially monitored investigation into the case.

Meanwhile, normal life is expected to remain largely unaffected in parts of the state. Rajkumar Karuvarath, Kannur district general secretary of the Bus Operators Association, said private bus services in the district would operate as usual. 

The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi has also announced that shops across the state will remain open. In a statement, state vice-president and district president P C Jacob said the organisation does not agree with the hartal. He said that the investigation into the case appears to be progressing in the right direction. Jacob also stated that all traders affiliated with the organisation will keep their shops open as usual.

The Kerala Textiles and Garments Federation (KTGF) also announced that textile shops will remain open and that it will not participate in the hartal. In a statement, the federation demanded that those responsible for Nithin Raj’s death be brought to justice and called for measures to ensure such incidents do not recur. However, citing the ongoing downturn in the trade sector, it said it would not support the shutdown.

Meanwhile, the APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) have postponed all examinations scheduled for Tuesday.

The protest comes amid growing outrage over the student’s death, with organisations alleging lapses and seeking stronger accountability.

The student, 22-year-old Nithin Raj from Thiruvananthapuram, was allegedly subjected to harassment over his caste and complexion by faculty members. He was found injured on the college campus on April 10 and later succumbed to his injuries.

Meanwhile, the Thalassery sessions court on Saturday, granted bail to the second accused Dr Sangeetha Nambiar and denied Dr M Kodanda Ram’s plea in the case. The court, which blamed ‘excessive media trial’ in the case, did not find any evidence to charge Dr Ram under the sections pertaining to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities Act). It also quizzed the circumstances in which Dr Sangeetha Nambiar was made an accused in the case.