Thiruvananthapuram: Universities across Kerala have postponed examinations scheduled for Tuesday as the state prepares for a 12-hour hartal called by multiple Dalit organisations over the death of first-year BDS student Nithin Raj.
APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU) and Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) announced the deferment of their exams in separate statements issued on Monday.
KTU, CUSAT postpone exams amid shutdown
KTU said all examinations planned for Tuesday stand postponed. "The examinations scheduled for tomorrow have been postponed and the revised date will be published on the KTU website shortly," the university said.
CUSAT, in an order dated April 24, confirmed that all examinations set for April 28 have also been postponed. The university has stated that new dates will be announced in due course.
The decision comes as several academic institutions anticipate disruptions related to the daylong hartal.
Hartal from 6 am to 6 pm: What remains open?
The statewide shutdown, announced by the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council along with Dalit and Adivasi organisations, will be held from 6 am to 6 pm on Tuesday. More than 50 Dalit groups, including the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have backed the protest.
Organisers have called for a complete shutdown and urged public cooperation. Some council representatives had earlier said private vehicles may be stopped, though supporting groups later clarified that no vehicles would be forcibly halted during the protest.
Essential services, including hospitals, milk supply and newspaper distribution, have been exempted from the hartal.
Death of Nithin Raj sparks statewide outrage
The hartal is being held to demand the arrest of those responsible for the death of Nithin Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Anjarakkandy, Kannur. The student was found critically injured after falling from a building on April 10 and later died.
Police have registered a case against two faculty members under charges of abetment of suicide and provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The student's family has alleged he faced caste- and complexion-based harassment, which they say drove him to death.
Organisations accuse police of mishandling probe
Several supporting groups have questioned the direction of the investigation. The Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM) alleged that police had shown indifference and were attempting to protect the accused.
KPSM leaders claimed the probe appeared to be "misdirected and delayed." They also accused investigators of trying to shift focus toward alleged loan app borrowings, a move the organisation termed a deliberate attempt to shield the real culprits. The group said the delays helped the accused faculty members obtain anticipatory bail.
KPSM reiterated its demand that the case be handed over to an independent investigative agency, citing a lack of public confidence in the current inquiry.