Nithin Raj suicide: Accused Dr MK Ram granted bail by Kerala court

The Thalassery court granted bail to Dr MK Ram, the main accused in the suicide of BDS student Nithin Raj. Ram, accused of abetment and caste-based harassment, was released on a Rs 5 lakh bond and ordered to cooperate with the probe.

The Thalassery District Sessions Court on Wednesday granted bail to Dr MK Ram, the main accused in the death of BDS student RL Nithin Raj. Principal District and Sessions Judge Manoj M granted bail on the condition that Dr MK Ram cooperate with the probe, furnish a Rs 5 lakh bond and not enter the college premises.

Allegations of Harassment and Caste Humiliation

Nithin Raj, 19, a native of Thiruvananthapuram, was a first-year BDS student at Anjarakandy Dental College in Kannur. He died by suicide on April 10 after falling from a building on the campus. Ram, a former head of the Department at the college, is accused of abetting Nithin's suicide. The prosecution alleges that the student faced sustained mental harassment from Ram, including caste-based humiliation and discrimination. He has been charged under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide, and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Investigation Lapses and Re-arrest

The Thalassery Principal Sessions Court, however, refused to remand Ram in custody the next day, observing that the investigating agency had failed to communicate the grounds of arrest to him as required by a recent Supreme Court ruling. He was subsequently released.

Following the incident, Kannur Crime Branch DySP Sudheer Kallan was suspended over alleged lapses in the arrest. The action also followed the Kerala High Court's criticism of the police for allowing Kallan to remain in service despite findings of serious lapses in handling the arrest.

Ram later surrendered before the new Crime Branch team on July 23 after the Thalassery SC/ST Sessions Court permitted his re-arrest. The Malappuram Crime Branch, under SP Mohanachandran Nair MP, is now conducting the probe.

The second accused, Dr KT Sangeetha Nambiar, had earlier been granted anticipatory bail by the Thalassery Additional Sessions Court. (ANI)

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