M.K. Ram, prime accused in the death of Kannur Dental College student Nitin Raj, surrendered before the Crime Branch on Thursday, hours after the Thalassery SC/ST special court permitted his re-arrest on Wednesday. He was questioned, subjected to medical examination at Kannur District Hospital, produced before the court, and remanded.

The Crime Branch had sought permission to re-arrest Dr. Ram after the Thalassery Principal Sessions Court ordered his release, ruling that investigators had failed to comply with the Supreme Court’s guidelines governing arrests when he was taken into custody in Karnataka.

The Kerala High Court had criticised Crime Branch DySP Sudheer Kallan for procedural lapses in the case. A Bench headed by Justice A. Badharudeen observed that senior police officers had intervened in a manner that benefited the accused, and recommended the investigating officer’s removal from service. The court described the investigation as a complete failure of the administration and termed the lapses unprecedented in the past 15 years.

Following the High Court’s observations, the Home Department reconstituted the investigation team. The probe was transferred from Kannur Crime Branch SP K.V. Venugopal to Malappuram Crime Branch SP M.P. Mohanachandran, with DySP Jeevan George appointed as the new investigating officer under Mr. Mohanachandran’s supervision.

During questioning, Dr. Ram denied subjecting Nithin Raj to mental harassment or making caste-based remarks, according to the investigating team.

Dr. Ram, former head of the Department of Oral Pathology at Kannur Dental College, Anjarakandy, has been charged with abetment to suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Before his death, Nithin Raj had informed the family that he was being mentally harassed by the department head. Amid widespread public outrage over the incident, the college management dismissed Dr. Ram from service.

Published - July 23, 2026 07:07 pm IST