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Time of India
21-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Jyoti Jhangra Suicide: Timeline reveals how signature dispute and project file pressure could have led to tragic end at Sharda University
The tragic death by suicide of Jyoti Jhangra , a second-year BDS student at Sharda University , on July 18 has triggered an intensive investigation, with her project files central to understanding the circumstances. The 21-year-old's final week was marked by accusations of forging a professor's signature, a controversy that deeply affected her, according to classmates. Initially, Jyoti appeared to be recovering, even sporting a new haircut and attending all her classes. However, just hours before she was found dead in her hostel room, a visit to the staff room allegedly triggered a severe meltdown. Based on accounts from her close friends and batchmates, a clearer timeline of the events leading to her demise has emerged. 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An assistant professor, upon reviewing the file, accused Jyoti of forging a previous signature and refused to sign her current submission. "Jyoti was in tears after this," recounted a close friend. "The professor scolded Jyoti and asked her not to show her face in class again. Jyoti said she had not forged any sign. I told her to let it go but she was in distress." July 14 The signature controversy prompted the university to summon Jyoti's father, Ramesh, to campus on July 14. While the university has not provided an official statement, Ramesh's account to the police, corroborated by Jyoti's friends, suggests an amicable discussion with the Head of the Department (HOD). They were reportedly "assured by the HOD that there will be no issues henceforth with her samples and obtaining signatures," a version echoed by Ramesh. This seemingly reassured both Jyoti and her father, who had also raised concerns about alleged harassment by teachers. Live Events However, Jyoti's friend revealed that despite the HOD's assurances, "Jyoti told me though the HOD spoke nicely to her father, the professors were still hostile to her. She was, however, coping and looked better after that day." This meeting led to the arrest of two faculty members, whom Jyoti specifically accused of mental harassment in her suicide note. Both are now in judicial custody. July 16 The challenges continued on July 16. According to Ramesh's police complaint, an assistant professor in a preclinical prosthodontics (PCP) class allegedly reprimanded Jyoti, telling her she would be punished for "complaining too much." The nature of these complaints and their connection to Ramesh's meeting with the HOD remain unclear. July 18 On July 18, the day of her death, Jyoti seemed "alright" just 15 minutes before her 11 AM class, according to her close friend. With exams approaching, she used suspended class time to complete her lab samples. This led her to the staff room to seek a signature from a senior faculty member. It was here that the accusations of July 10 allegedly resurfaced. "Jyoti was in anguish when she returned from the staff room. She told me the professor had told her, 'tum toh apna sign khud hi kar leti ho' (you sign your own projects) and made fun of her," shared her friend. She was told to rework her dental sample. Despite this, Jyoti attempted to get her PCP samples signed by another professor, only to face similar accusations of forging signatures. "She went back crying to the lab to redo her samples. Around 4pm, she said that she was going to her room," her friend recalled. Jyoti was last seen by a fellow hosteller at Mandela between 5:30 PM and 7:00 PM, where she "cried a lot." She advised her friend "to take both theory and practical seriously" before returning to her room. Around 9 PM, Jyoti was found dead. Unanswered questions and ongoing investigations The FIR, based on Ramesh's complaint, names the Dean of the School of Dental Studies, the HOD, and two additional faculty members, alongside the two arrested professors. Sharda University has initiated its own committee-led probe. Key questions remain unanswered. Why were Jyoti's project signatures repeatedly questioned? Was she indeed being targeted, or was there a previous instance of a "dodgy sign" as implied by the faculty? Her classmates deny any knowledge of such an instance, and the university has yet to comment. A faculty member, speaking generally, stated that "She was doing BDS, and to get a license, an audit takes place by a govt official. If her practicals were not up to the mark and the professors asked her to redo it, she should have taken things positively as it was for her betterment. If an audit finds practicals not up to the mark, even a college's license can be suspended and the affiliation can go for a toss." However, a classmate countered this, stating Jyoti's scores were not poor, having scored "368 out of 600 in the first year." The classmate added, "It is necessary to submit the project file before appearing in the written exam. Jyoti was under stress because she did not have a sign." The investigations by both the police and the university are expected to shed light on these critical uncertainties surrounding Jyoti Jhangra's tragic death. [With TOI inputs]
Time of India
19-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Dental dept of Sharda University has culture of personal insults: Batchmates after BDS students kills self
Noida: Personal insults are common here, several of Jyoti Jhangra's batchmates at Sharda University TOI spoke to said on Saturday as the school of dental sciences reeled under the shock of a student dying by suicide. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The students said their department had a "culture of toxicity", primarily perpetrated by the two faculty members, who Jyoti had named in her final note, and abetted by others not intervening. A classmate of Jyoti in the second year of the bachelor of dental science course said the two professors were in the habit of making demeaning comments for the smallest of mistakes. "One day, I made a few minor errors in my project, and the professor said to me, 'tumse nahi ho payega, tum ghar ja ke roti banao (This is not for you. Go home and make chapatis)'. It was humiliating," she said, adding one of the professors, while scolding another student, had fumed: "Chappal se marungi (will beat you up with a sandal)" "Even during vivas, we are very scared about what remark the professors will make if the answers are wrong. The department is very toxic," she said. Constant fear of getting humiliated, said another student, leads to many of them often skipping their visits home, lest something holds them up and attendance is affected even by a day. "My parents are in Delhi. But I don't go for fear of getting scolded," she said. "Making personal comments and humiliation has been a culture in the dental wing for a while," a third student in the same class as Jyoti said on Saturday. "As a student, I understand the medical field is challenging and requires precision. However, torturing students mentally, and harassing them in the name of being strict is uncalled for. This affects our mental health and there is no one who we can speak to about these issues," said the student. Last Monday, Jyoti's father was called to the university. The faculty members her father spoke to were cordial, Jyoti told a classmate. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now But the same day, one of the two faculty members who have now been arrested, allegedly told Jyoti she would fail in the exam, a classmate said. "They repeatedly scolded her and refused to sign her denture project submissions. She told us they had accused her of forging a signature and called her father on Monday," the classmate added. "Due to the toxic environment here, Jyoti was not the only student feeling tormented. It is heartbreaking that she was left to fight it alone," said the second-year BDS student. Another common allegation from dental science students was that some professors would tear or throw away submissions they were unhappy with in front of the whole class. "Once, I submitted a project and the professor asked me to make changes without even looking at it. The next day, I submitted the project without any modifications, and it was approved. It felt like she rejected it the first time just to harass me," a student who is now interning said. University officials said there is an internal complaint committee in place for students and anyone who feels wronged can approach it. TOI could not ascertain if complaints had been filed against any of the professors in the dental sciences department. "The university takes care of the mental health of students, and there is an internal committee for students. The committee functions actively. A final report based on the investigation will further clear the matter," said Dr Ajit Kumar, director of Sharda University.
