Man blames prof for daughter's suicide on varsity campus

The suicide by Akanksha S Nair, a young professional and former student of a private university in Phagwara, has taken a serious turn with her family alleging that a university professor may have been involved in circumstances leading to her death.

Akanksha, who had been working with SpiceJet in Delhi, reportedly died on May 17 after falling from a hostel building on the university campus. The incident, initially believed to be a personal tragedy, has now become the focus of a growing controversy following allegations made by her family.

Speaking to the media outside the Civil Hospital mortuary in Phagwara, Akanksha’s father Surendra Kumar and other relatives claimed that Professor Bilji C. Mathews, 40, had been in relations with Akanksha. According to the family, Mathews had reportedly assured her of marriage but later she learned that he was already married and had two children. The family believes that this betrayal caused immense emotional distress to Akanksha and contributed directly to her decision to end her life.

The family further alleged that the initial statement recorded by the police at Chaheru under Satnampura was fabricated. According to them, statements were taken in Punjabi — a language they do not understand — and later found to suggest that Akanksha was suffering from depression and that the family did not wish to pursue legal action. However, after asking local journalists to translate the statement, they were reportedly shocked to find no mention of Prof Mathews or any request for legal proceedings, which, they say, contradicts their actual stance.

Following this, the family created a scene outside the police outpost, accusing officials of misrepresenting their statements and shielding the professor, possibly in an effort to protect the university’s reputation.

Surendra Kumar later submitted a complaint in English, naming the professor and requesting a fair investigation. He alleged that police officials refused to accept the complaint.

Seeking intervention from the higher authorities, the family has also sent a communication to the Chief Minister, urging a transparent and impartial probe into what they describe as a suspicious and emotionally driven suicide.

The body of Akanksha was subjected to a post-mortem examination conducted by a medical board at the Civil Hospital in Phagwara. The final post-mortem report is awaited and expected to play a key role in the investigation.

DIG, Jalandhar Range, Naveen Dhillon confirmed that the police have received two complaints — one from the family of the deceased and another from the wife of Prof Mathews. He said the police are conducting a free and fair investigation into the matter.

The university administration has not yet issued a statement.