Thiruvananthapuram: Home department has sought detailed reports after a court granted bail to Dr M K Ram, the accused in the alleged suicide of BDS student R L Nithin Raj at Anjarakandy Dental College in Kannur, with home minister Ramesh Chennithala expressing strong dissatisfaction over the developments in the case.The minister said he sought a report from the state police chief on the circumstances that led to the accused securing bail. He also decided to seek an explanation from the crime branch chief. A fresh team will be constituted to probe the case, while inspector general (north zone) has been entrusted with examining what transpired during the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings. The new probe will be headed by IG Ajeetha Begum.Chennithala said there was no indication at present that the police deliberately acted negligently, but added that the govt would ascertain what exactly happened. He also said Raj’s family informed the govt that they lost confidence in the existing crime branch investigation team.The developments came after the Thalassery principal sessions court ordered the release of Ram, holding that the arrest was not carried out in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures. The court found procedural lapses in the arrest and granted him bail. However, soon after his release, crime branch officials took Ram back into custody from the court premises. The accused’s counsel alleged that the crime branch action was illegal.The bail order triggered allegations of serious lapses on the part of crime branch probe team. It was alleged that investigators failed to properly communicate the grounds of arrest to the accused in writing, as required under law. There were also allegations that the public prosecutor was informed of the arrest with delay. Following the controversy, senior police officers instructed the investigation team to exercise greater caution in further proceedings and decided that subsequent legal steps would be taken based on legal advice. Meanwhile, Raj’s family alleged that the accused and the police acted in collusion, claiming that the procedural lapses enabled Ram to secure bail.
