Kerala dental student's suicide: Probe handed over to State Crime Branch

The State Crime Branch will take over the probe into the suicide of Kannur Dental College student Nithin Raj. State Police Chief Ravada Azad Chandra Sekhar issued proceedings on Wednesday, transferring the probe to the Crime Branch. 

The ADGP, Crime Branch, will get the cases registered in the Crime Branch police station and entrust the investigation of the cases to an officer or a team of officers of the Crime Branch, according to the proceedings. Nithin, 22, was found lying on a stone-paved area between the administrative block and the hospital building on the campus at around 1.30 pm on April 10. He was brought to the Kannur Medical College Hospital casualty and while undergoing treatment, he succumbed to injuries.

His suicide sparked massive outrage after his family alleged that he was subjected to caste bias and harassment by faculties in his college. Two faculties, Dr Sangeetha Nambiar and Dr M Kodanda Ram, were booked by the police following complaints of caste-based harassment. Thalassery sessions court, while ruling on the bail plea of Dr Ram and Dr Sangeetha Nambiar, however, observed that there was no evidence of caste-bias. 

During the investigation, police found out that Nithin had taken a loan of ₹15,000 from an app. He had given the contact of Dr Latha as a reference number. When she started receiving threatening calls from the app operators, she informed the college principal and she told Nithin that she would have to file a complaint with the Cyber police. 

The court has observed that he committed suicide on account of the fact that he was called into the Principal’s room and interrogated by his teachers. “He was in deep distress on account of this interrogation and the fact that the cyber police were going to register a complaint against him,” the court said in the order. 

The case was initially registered at Chakkarakkal police station on April 11. Based on a complaint filed by Rajan, Nithin's father, sections under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act were added to the case. A report was submitted to the court which noted that the instigation by the faculties against whom Nithin's father raised a complaint, led Nithin to commit suicide. 

Kannur Assistant Commissioner of Police took up further investigation. Based on a complaint filed on April 12 by Nithin's teacher Latha, another case was registered at Kannur cyber police station under the IT act and relevant sections of the BNS. Cases under Kerala Money Lenders Act and Kerala Prohibition of Charging Exorbitant Interest Act 2012 were also registered at the Chakkarakkal Police Station against the loan app company.

The Additional Director General of Police (Law & Order) has recommended transferring the investigation of all the cases to the State Crime Branch since Nithin's family has raised several issues regarding the investigation, considering the sensational nature of the cases, for a comprehensive and fair investigation.