19-year-old St Stephen’s student died of Covid

Satyam Jha, a resident of Kolkata, died in Kota, Rajasthan, on Wednesday, his friends and teachers said, adding that he was in Kota with his family for personal reasons.

A 19-year-old first-year student of history at Delhi University (DU)’s St Stephen’s College succumbed to Covid-19 on Wednesday. This is the first reported coronavirus disease death among undergraduate students in the varsity.

Satyam Jha. (Hindustan Times)

Satyam Jha, a resident of Kolkata, died in Kota, Rajasthan, on Wednesday, his friends and teachers said, adding that he was in Kota with his family for personal reasons.

Even though he never attended classes in person, owing to the pandemic, teachers, seniors and classmates remembered Jha as an “all-rounder”, who was “intelligent, bright and research-minded”.

Malay Neerav, head of the department of history at St Stephen’s College, said, “This is just like losing one’s own child. I knew him from the time he had appeared for the online interview seeking an admission to our college. He was exceptional... It’s so unfortunate he left us.”

The college on Thursday organised a memorial service and prayer meeting in Jha’s memory.

College principal John Varghese also put out a message on the college website offering condolences, “A young man looking forward to life, exceptionally. His dreams and those of his parents and all who loved him came to an end with his death. His soul, though, we pray, hope, and believe, rest in eternal peace.”