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Jadavpur University professor found dead in Uttarakhand hotel with throat slit
Mainak Pal went on a trip to Uttarakhand with friends, but chose to return alone, checking into a hotel in Lalkuan to catch a train back to Kolkata.
A 44-year-old professor from Kolkata's Jadavpur University was found dead in a hotel room in Uttarakhand, with cuts on his hand and throat slit.
Police suspect that the victim identified as Mainak Pal may have died by suicide.
Pal, survived by his wife, daughter and parents had gone on a short trip to Uttarakhand with two friends. While his friends continued their journey, he chose to return to Kolkata, checking into a hotel in Lalkuan with plans to catch a train home the next morning, NDTV reported.
He had reportedly told his friends that he was missing his daughter and wanted to return home. However, when his family couldn’t reach him by phone on Friday evening, they contacted the hotel.
The hotel staff forced open the door and found Pal’s body in the bathroom, with deep cuts on his hands and throat slit, and blood splattered on the floor.
The death of the Philosophy professor has left his colleagues in Kolkata in shock. The Jadavpur University Teachers' Association said that Pal made a strong impact as a teacher.
“We are in deep shock since we heard about his death,” said Partha Pratim Roy, the general secretary of the association.
“Pal was a lovable person and popular among students and the fraternity. The entire JU family is shell-shocked,” Roy added.
The professor was an alumnus of Presidency College, Kolkata, and had worked in two West Bengal government colleges before returning to Presidency University as a teacher. He joined Jadavpur University in 2022 as an associate professor, the report added.
