A professor at a prestigious government engineering college in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, tragically hanged himself, allegedly as a result of work pressure at the college.
Nimish Shah, an associate professor in the LD (Lalbhai Dalpatbhai) College of Engineering’s Electrical Department, committed suicide on Monday. A suicide note that he left in his room, which the police found, explained that he was taking the extreme step because of college work overload, was found there.
After dropping off his wife Rupal Merchant, a professor at a polytechnic college in Vyara, at the bus stop in the morning, Shah allegedly locked himself inside the room, according to the police. Shah’s mother called Shah’s uncle when he remained silent for hours and did not answer her calls. Around 12.30 p.m., they busted down the door and found him hanging with a dupatta.
Though his suicide note titled “I Quit” talked about the work pressure at college, it said that nobody else is responsible for his death.
“Only I am responsible for my suicide. I work as an associate professor in the electricity department of LD Engineering College. I have been reeling from immense pressure at work. The college authorities have given me dual responsibilities. The maintenance of the electrical system and the scholarship work of students. This workload is the reason for my suicide, ” Shah wrote.
He requested, in his letter, to not call back his son Akshat studying in Canada. “My son is studying in Canada. Please do not call him for my last rites. Akshat has gone there for his higher studies. Please do not call him to India in any circumstance,” the note reads.
He asked his wife to “take care” of their only son. “My wife Rupal Merchant is a very good person. Please do not harass her. Rupal, I am sorry. I am leaving you alone. Please take care of our son,” Shah wrote further.
He also requested that his last rites should be done by his friend, Umesh Makwana, and a relative, Piyush Rathod.
A case of unnatural death has been filed and the body was handed over to Shah’s family after postmortem.