A Banaras Hindu University (BHU) faculty member and warden of the Sarojini Naidu girls hostel died by suicide on Monday. The victim was a 45-year-old associate professor in the Molecular and Human Genetics Department of BHU.

She lived in the warden quarter of the Sarojini Naidu hostel with her husband and her daughter. The victim set herself on fire in her room on the varsity campus. Her husband told police that he had gone to Sigra for some work while their daughter was playing in a room on the ground floor of the house when the incident took place. Her daughter noticed fumes on the first floor and raised an alarm. The proctorial board personnel ran towards the house and informed the fire brigade, however, it was too late.

Additional Deputy Police Commissioner Vikas Chandra Tripathi said the body has been sent for post mortem and further investigation is underway. However, he said that during the initial investigation, it was found that she was upset due to health issues for a long time.  Inspector Lanka, Mahesh Pandey, said that it is suspected the victim torched papers in the room to set it on fire. Forensic experts were called to collect evidence. 

(Mental Health Helplines:  Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline +91-22-25521111 is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm. Sneha Foundation Chennai-based NGO has a 24-hour helpline +91-44-24640050. The Pink Project is a Mumbai-based mental health initiative, founded by two psychologists, is offering free online counselling during the COVID-19 crisis.)