Jadavpur University Pro VC found hanging at his residence

Kolkata, July 20, 2022

Samantak Das, the Pro Vice Chancellor of Kolkata's prestigious Jadavpur University, was found hanging at his residence in south Kolkata on Wednesday afternoon in an apparent case of suicide, poice said.

Police sources said that his body was recovered hanging from the ceiling fan of his residence and the medium of hanging was a belt. No suicide note was recovered from near the body.

"Although preliminary findings hint that the reason of his death was suicide, nothing cannot be confirmed officially unless the post-mortem examination report comes. We have sent the body for post-mortem examination and expect to get the report by Thursday," an investigating official said.

Das completed his graduation and post-graduation in English literature from Jadavpur University. Previously, he was associated with the English department of Visva Bharati University in Santiniketan.

In 2005, he joined the Comparative Literature department of Jadavpur University. He was also associated with the university's Rabindranath Studies School.

Before becoming the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university, Das had also been head of the Comparative Literature department.

He was extremely popular among the students of the university because of his communicative teaching style.

The entire varsity campus plunged into gloom after the news of his death was received.

The police are trying to figure out from his colleagues whether he was suffering from any kind of mental depression.

IANS