DU loses one more teacher to Covid-19
NEW DELHI: A 45-year-old assistant professor at a Delhi University (DU) college succumbed to Covid-19 on Monday, less than 10 days after her husband died of the illness. They had two children.
Chetan Jassal, an assistant professor in the commerce department of Mata Sundri College for Women, and her husband, Pawan Kumar Jassal, were rushed to Chandigarh by relatives on April 25 after reportedly failing to find a hospital bed in Delhi. Her husband died on May 8, said Chetan’s relatives.
“She called me on April 24 asking for some leads for an oxygen cylinder for her husband. He was having difficulty breathing and they were trying to find a hospital bed. They were both infected at the time. After failing to get a bed here, she took her husband to Chandigarh with the help of her relatives. By that time, her condition got worse, and she too was hospitalised. She was on ventilator support since April 30. She did not know about her husband’s death,” said Veenakshi Sharma, a colleague and close friend of Chetan’s.
The DU Teachers Association (DUTA) said more than 35 faculty members from across colleges in the university have died due to Covid-19 since March. Last week alone, at least five DU faculty members died of Covidrelated
complications.
Harpreet Kaur, principal of Mata Sundri College for Women, said Chetan Jassal sent her documents to the college for a pending promotion, days before she left for Chandigarh.
“She would have been promoted to the post of associate professor soon. It’s so shocking for us to believe she is not among us any longer. She was a very hardworking and responsible colleague. We will never forget her smiling face,” Kaur said.
Kaur said the two are survived by two sons — a 20-year-old studying psychology in DU, and a 14-year-old in Class 10.
“We are trying to help the family. The chairperson of the college’s governing body has promised he will sponsor their sons’ education,” Kaur said.
Jassal’s brother Dr Maheshwar, who last met her in September, said, “We tried our best to find beds for them in Delhi, but to no avail. We had to call them here [to Chandigarh] then.
“It’s a difficult time for the family.”