After sustained protests by students, the management of Kannur Dental College at Anjarakandy, Kerala, has expelled Dr MK Ram, Head of Department, Dental Anatomy, who faces allegations of harassment, including casteist and body shaming remarks, in connection with the death of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj.
The decision was taken following discussions with student union representatives on Thursday, April 16.
A seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the death of Nithin Raj, who died by suspected suicide at a private dental college in Ancharakandi, Kannur, on April 13. Dr MK Ram and Dr Sangeetha Nambiar have been named as accused in the FIR based on the allegations raised so far. Both are absconding, with their mobile phones switched off. Police said efforts are underway to trace them.
Action against Dr Ram came amid intensified student protests on campus. Students have been organising marches and symbolically removing their white coats as part of the agitation. They have declared that protests, including sit-in demonstrations, will continue until their demands are met.
“Even though I have been studying here for about five years, I don’t know who the management is. Even though our Nithin is gone, we should not allow another such tragedy. For that, we need transparency and a student-friendly environment. We are also aware of the limitations of our union. We don’t even know whom to approach beyond the principal. A strong student body, with or without party support, needs to be built here,” one of the protesters told the media.
Student protesters have also said they will attend to patients in the clinic only after a decision is taken regarding Nithin’s case.
“We will attend classes only after justice is served. The coats that we wear carry our parents' sweats, they carry our tears, today blood has been splattered on this, if we do not ask now its colour will turn red, this white coat will be of no use then. We want to graduate from here wearing a white coat. If we do not react to this now we will never be able to react, another student protestor told the media.