Thiruvananthapuram | A statewide hartal called by various Dalit organisations seeking justice in the death of Kannur dental college student Nithin Raj is being observed across Kerala on Tuesday.

The protest has affected normal life, as activists blocked the movement of vehicles in many parts of the state.

Incidents of hartal supporters forcing shops to shut were also reported in various places.

In many areas, including the state capital and Kannur, hartal supporters blocked vehicles. However, two-wheelers were allowed to pass.

Various Dalit organisations had announced the statewide hartal on Monday, demanding justice in the death of Raj.

The hartal is being observed from 6 am to 6 pm on Tuesday.

As many as 52 Dalit organisations, including the Justice for Nithin Raj Action Council, have called for the strike.

The organisations, while requesting public cooperation for the protest, stated on Monday that no vehicles would be forcibly stopped and that all essential services would be exempted.

Raj, a first-year BDS student at a private dental college in Ancharakandi in Kannur district, was found critically injured after falling from a building on 10 April and later succumbed to his injuries.

Police have registered a case against two faculty members on charges of abetment of suicide and under the provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations by the student's family that he was subjected to caste- and complexion-based harassment.

Kerala Pinnokka Samudaya Munnani (KPSM), one of the organisations supporting the hartal, alleged in a statement that the police had shown apathy in the investigation and were attempting to protect the accused.

KPSM state president K V Padmanabhan and general secretary S Anwar alleged that the probe into Raj's death was being deliberately misdirected and delayed.

While the family has firmly alleged that caste discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members led to the student's death, the police were attempting to divert the investigation towards loan app borrowings, they claimed.

The organisation further alleged that this was a planned move to shield the real accused.

KPSM also alleged that by deliberately delaying the arrest of the accused teachers, the police enabled them to secure anticipatory bail.

They stated that there was no confidence in the present police investigation and demanded that the case be handed over to an independent agency at the earliest.