The police, on Friday, constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the suicide by a professor of the University of Jammu.
Chander Shekhar, an associate professor of psychology, committed suicide in the campus on September 7. The incident triggered a controversy with a section demanding a CBI probe.
However, Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu Chandan Kohli constituted the SIT headed by Sachit Sharma, SDPO South Jammu to probe the suicide case.
45-year-old Chander Shekhar committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling soon after the university authorities suspended him following allegations of sexual harassment. His body was found hanging in his office on the university campus. He had left a note on the blackboard: “Allegations against me are false.”
The police said Prof Shekhar, who was from Meerut in Uttar Pradesh, resided at the university’s campus.
The deceased professor’s wife and friends have contested the claim of Prof Prakash Anthal, Dean of Students’ Welfare that “On September 1, 2022, around 20 to 22 students had lodged a written complaint against Professor Chander Shekhar for sexual harassment and the case was being investigated by the university authority.”
Prof Anthal added, “Based on the inquiry committee’s initial report, he was placed under suspension and barred from teaching and evaluation, pending the final inquiry report.”
However, his wife claimed that Prof Chandra Shekhar was upset for the past few days because of “harassment” by his colleagues who wanted to stall his promotion as head of department in the next couple of days.