Kannur, India - The management of Kannur Dental College has denied that the death of a BDS student was due to caste discrimination, instead citing a loan app issue.
Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student, died after allegedly jumping from a building on April 10.
Police had registered a case against two faculty members for abetment of suicide and under provisions of the SC/ST Act, following allegations that Raj was harassed over his caste and complexion.
The college management said it was wrong to claim that Raj died due to caste discrimination and that no formal complaints were filed against the teacher.
According to the management, Raj had taken a loan through an app, following which one of his teachers began receiving frequent calls and messages from loan operators, which she reported to the principal.
Raj was then called to the principal's office, where he said the loan had been taken for his brother-in-law, but he claimed he had not given the teacher's name as a reference.
The college said it attempted to contact Asokan, but was unable to reach him, and subsequently, Raj left the principal's room and allegedly jumped from the building.
The management said CCTV footage of the incident has also been handed over to the police and that the college had always supported Raj.
