Kerala Hartal Disrupts Districts Over Student Death

A statewide hartal called by Dalit and Adivasi organizations in Kerala on Tuesday partially disrupted normal life in several districts as protesters demanded justice for the death of Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student at Kannur Dental College in Anjarakandy, Kannur district.

The 12-hour strike, observed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and backed by the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council along with 52 organizations, focused on allegations of caste-based harassment faced by the 22-year-old student from Thiruvananthapuram. Raj was found critically injured after falling from a building on the college campus on April 10 and later died. His family accused two faculty members, Department Head Dr. M.K. Ram and Associate Professor Dr. Sangeetha Nambiar, of caste and complexion-based discrimination that led to his suicide.

Police registered a case against the two under charges of abetment to suicide and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. On Monday, Nambiar appeared before investigators in Kannur, was formally arrested, and released on bail as ordered by the Kannur District and Sessions Court, which noted no evidence against her had emerged...