KSKTU Condemns Caste Discrimination Behind BDS Student Nithin Raj's Death at Kannur Dental College

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Karshaka Thozhilali Union (KSKTU) has declared that the tragic death of Nithin Raj, a BDS student at Anjarakkandy Dental College in Kannur, is a stark testament to the caste discrimination and upper-caste supremacist mindset that continues to fester within educational campuses.

In a joint statement, KSKTU State President Anavoor Nagappan and General Secretary N Chandran said it was a matter of deep shame for Keralam's civil society that a bright Dalit student was driven to abandon his studies midway and ultimately take his own life. They stressed that the incident laid bare the ugly reality of casteism that persists beneath the surface of the state's progressive image.

The leaders warned that there were organised and covert attempts in various quarters to reintroduce the long-discredited caste hierarchy into educational institutions under new guises. "Such forces that nurture caste-based discrimination within campuses must be nipped in the bud," the statement said, calling for swift and exemplary punishment for all those responsible for Nithin Raj's death.

The KSKTU urged Keralam to stand united in defence of democratic values and against the cruelty of upper-caste consciousness. The union also pledged its full support to the bereaved family in their fight for justice and reaffirmed its commitment to continuing the struggle against all forms of caste discrimination.