Ex-IIT professor, wife rescued in critical state after bizarre four-month ‘isolation’
KANPUR: Four months ago, a former Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) professor and his wife decided to shun society and lock themselves inside their Twin Towers flat at Sharda Nagar in Kanpur. The two were found unconscious on Tuesday, with excrement lying littered all over the apartment floor.
The matter came to light on Monday night, when neighbours noticed a stench emanating from the two-room apartment occupied by Sanjeev Dayal and Vidya. The police were summoned, but even they weren’t prepared for the scene that greeted them upon breaking down the door.
The 50-year-old professor lay fully dressed in one room, his beard having grown all the way to his stomach because he hadn’t shaved in months. In the other room was his wife, lying naked under a bed. Surrounding them were mounds of excrement, creating an unearthly stench.
The couple had reportedly blocked the toilet door by nailing heavy wooden planks across it.
Dayal and his wife were admitted to the LLR hospital in a critical state. “Their heartbeats and pulse rate are irregular. We are doing all we can,” said a hospital source.
Dr JS Kushwaha, the medical professional in charge of the case, said it appears as if the two hadn’t eaten anything in the last few days. Kalyanpur police were trying to ascertain if the couple suffered from depression or any other psychiatric condition. Police found CCTV cameras installed in both the rooms of the flat. They have retrieved the footage to investigate the circumstances surrounding the case.
Attempts to gather information from neighbours and relatives went in vain because the duo seldom interacted with others. Neighbours said they wouldn’t even enquire about their welfare for fear of being told off. While Dayal and Vidya reportedly called the electrician four times in the last few months, they never opened the door for him.
After his stint at IIT-Kanpur, Sanjeev conducted coaching classes for aspiring engineering students. Vidya used to work as a teacher at CSA University on a contractual basis. They have no children.