Bhubaneswar: An assistant professor working in Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) here was found hanging at her residential quarters late Thursday night.
According to a source, the deceased woman has been identified as Basanti Jena. She was the assistant professor in the Department of Animal Reproduction, Gynaecology and Obstetrics in the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in the state capital.
The lady professor had been staying with her husband named Debi Prasanna Das and a six-year-old son in the staff quarters. The man works as an assistant professor in the Department of Plant Pathology of the varsity. The couple was in a love relationship since 2004 and got married in 2012, the source added.
The incident took place when Basanti’s husband was out with their minor son for a walk in the locality. The woman is said to have had locked main gate of her house from inside. Later, she committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling inside a room.
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“I and my son including a friend living nearby came back from a walk Thursday night at around 8.30pm. Later, I found the main gate locked from inside. I thought Basanti must have locked the gate in anger after waiting for us for some time,” the husband Prasanna informed.
“We knocked the gate for quite a long time and she did not come out for nearly half an hour. Then, I climbed our boundary wall and barged into the house to ascertain as to what has gone wrong on her at around 9.30 pm. After I entered the front room, I spotted her body hanging from the ceiling. I immediately untied her and called an ambulance vehicle to take her to hospital,” the man further said.
However, on reaching, doctors at the health facility declared her ‘brought dead’, Prasanna added.
“Basanti came home from her office earlier in the day at around 5.30pm and everything was well till 6.00pm. As usual, I took my son for a walk and saw her body hanging when I came back,” said Das.
On being informed about the incident, Khandagiri police reached the spot and launched a probe to ascertain the actual reason behind Basanti’s death. Police have sent her body to Capital Hospital in Unit VI of Bhubaneswar for post-mortem.
Meanwhile, Basanti’s family has alleged that she was not in good terms with her husband as he was having extra-marital affair.
The woman’s brother said “My brother-in-law Prasanna contacted me over mobile phone and at around 11.00pm he informed about the incident. My nephew has been suffering from some abnormality and my brother-in-law was not giving him time. Due to this reason, the couple frequently indulged in altercations. Besides, my brother-in-law is an alcoholic and the elder sister used to oppose his bad habit. She had told my father about his extra-marital affair.”
PNN