Kerala Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala has initiated a new investigation into the death of BDS student Nithin Raj following the release of the main accused, Dr. M.K. Ram, due to procedural issues that revealed serious shortcomings in the Crime Branch inquiry.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the situation, Chennithala has requested an urgent report from the Director General of Police (DGP) and instructed the Crime Branch head to clarify the deficiencies that led to the accused being granted relief.
A new Special Investigation Team, led by IG Ajitha Begum, has been formed to take over the investigation, while the North Zone IG has been assigned to review the errors made during the initial probe.
Allegations have surfaced that the current Crime Branch team made significant procedural mistakes during Ram’s arrest, resulting in the Thalassery Principal Sessions Court ordering his release for failure to adhere to legal protocols.
The investigating team purportedly neglected to provide the accused with the written grounds for arrest and delayed informing the Public Prosecutor about the arrest, leading to criticism of the subsequent re-custody of Ram by the Crime Branch after the court’s decision.
Following the court’s release order, Ram was handed a notice to appear before the probe team in two days, a move contested by the defense as unlawful.
Nithin Raj’s family has welcomed the appointment of a new investigative team but expressed a lack of confidence in the current Crime Branch investigators, with the student’s mother alleging collusion between the police and the accused in securing bail for Ram.
Chennithala, however, maintained that there was no intentional negligence on the police’s part and emphasized that the fresh investigation aims to address all concerns raised by the family.
The case gained significant attention after Nithin Raj, a Dalit BDS student, died by suicide on April 10, with his family consistently claiming that caste-based harassment by faculty members led to his tragic decision.
Accusations were also made against the local police for initially focusing the investigation on a loan application angle, allowing Ram to evade authorities for 101 days before his eventual arrest in Kodagu.
Despite higher courts rejecting his anticipatory bail plea, Ram’s arrest is now under scrutiny for procedural faults, prompting the government to order a new investigation.
