EFLU Scholar Commits Suicide

• Guide's 'harassment' cited as reason
• Prof and VC deny allegations arguing it was due to his financial conditions
• Body taken to his native Tamil Nadu
• Second student recently to resort to extreme step

Hyderabad: Hardly two days into the formation of a panel by the AP High Court to study and find a permanent solution to the suicides in universities across the State, a PhD scholar from English and Foreign Languages University (EFLU) committed suicide by hanging himself in a mosque near Osmania University here early on Thursday.

While the students alleged that the harassment by his guide was the reason for it, both the guide and the VC denied it. A According to OU police, Mohammad Mohideen (33), a final year PhD student from the Arabic department in the EFLU, allegedly resorted to suicide by using janimas (prayer sheets) for the purpose.

With Kashmiri student Mudassir Kamran's suicide still fresh in minds, the death of another student in similar circumstances came in as A rude shock for the students in the campus. Mohideen was a religious person and used to devote part of his time for teaching in a Madarsa near the university, his colleagues said.

Students took to protests demanding an inquiry into the fresh suicide. They alleged that frequent postponements of his viva examination and discrimination by the guide drove Mohammad to the desperate act of ending his life.

Police said that the suicide note of the student, who hailed from Srivilliputtur town in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, read that nobody was responsible for his death. "I am not eligible to live. Please inform my friends but not the sister", he pleaded.

The body was sent to Gandhi Hospital for conducting post-mortem examination. Later, the body was sent to his native place by air. The OU police registered a case and started investigation.

Frequent postponement of viva voce programme, which marks the completion of the PhD programme was said to have left him in total despair thus driving him to the desperate step. His friends claimed that he had submitted his thesis about two years back. His research guide Prof. Jahangir is said to have re-written his thesis on the plea that the work was poor in quality.

When The Hans India contacted Prof. Jahangir, he attributed the suicide of the student to the economic condition of his family. "Mohideen was economically poor. His sister was anxious about him and used to call him frequently. His family members were planning to establish some commercial outlet at his native place. He was a sincere and friendly student in the department," he said.

Commenting over the postponing of viva, he said the external examiner from Mumbai was on the way. After knowing about the fatal incident, he was stopped from coming, said the professor.

The students said that there were a few more students who were complaining of similar treatment being meted out by some of the faculty members of the department. "The department is a destination of discrimination," said the students.

In the evening, the students took out a candle light rally to pay homage to the deceased. They demanded inquiry into the incident and justice to the kin of the deceased.

Family members' version When The Hans India reached out to the family members on phone, Beer Mohammad, brother of Mohideen, was not in a position to talk since he was devastated by the news of his brother's death. However, Jaffer, nephew of the deceased, said that his uncle spoke to Beer Mohammad over the phone just two days ago."He was casual when he called us," said Jaffer.

He mentioned that Mohideen had been unwell for the past one week and that he had health problems, including ulcer and appendicitis. The family members came to know about Mohideen's suicide through the university authorities at 10.30 am on Thursday.

Paying homage to their deceased colleague, students of EFLU and members of various student organizations such as TSA, DABMSA, SIO, MSF, PDSU and TVV along with the struggle committee took out a candle light rally on the campus in the evening.

"The huge presence of security personnel on the campus has become an intimidating factor for students. As a result they are frightened to approach the university administration for lodging complaints regarding problems they face," lamented the students.

They accused the vice-chancellor Prof. Sunaina Singh of not initiating any steps to solve students' problems, rather than using brutal police force to diffuse them.

After Mohideen's suicide students approached the VC more than once for an appointment. But she refused to meet, they alleged. Similarly, students said when a class IV contract employee committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the University building, police had brutally lathi-charged a crowd including class IV staff and women. They had even abused the Registrar and some of the professors.

The students faulted the administration, specially the Vice- Chancellor for sending Mohideen's body from Gandhi Hospital to the airport en route to Tamil Nadu, denying the students to pay their last respects to him. The leaders urged students to resort to agitations if they were facing any discrimination, rather than sacrificing their lives.

VC denies allegations VC Prof Sunaina Singh was reluctant to comment on the incident. When contacted, she said, "His note says personal reasons." She refuted the allegations that claimed frequent postponement of viva and alleged involvement of Prof Jahangir to be the reason for the incident. She said the allegations were wrong. She was in no mood to add anything more.