Suicide of Samarveer Singh

Samarveer Singh was an Indian academic who worked as an assistant professor on ad-hoc basis at the Hindu College in the Delhi University. After working for seven years at the college, he was asked to vacate his position in February 2023 after an arbitrary and highly opaque '2-minute interview', replacing the permanent position with reportedly less-qualified applicants. Described as being 'deeply distressed' about his family's financial situation after being removed from his job, Samarveer died by suicide on 26 April 2023. His suicide has since sparked the debate on the arbitrary selection process of the university and highlighted the exploitation of ad-hoc workers in India.

Protest The teacher's death has sparked outrage among students, activists, and teachers who have accused the university of "institutional murder", alleging that he was driven to it as he was expecting to get permanent and instead lost his job. They claimed that the university's decision to remove Samarveer from his job was callous and insensitive, and that it has put a strain on the mental health of many teachers. Students held a protest organized by the All India Students' Association (AISA) demanding justice for Samarveer Singh, outside the Hindu College campus.

Faculties and students expressed anger on social media after the incident. Student groups called for a protest on Thursday to mourn Samarveer's death and protest the university's actions. DU teachers wrote to the Delhi University Vice Chancellor demanding justice for the deceased lecturer. Aam Aadmi Party's teachers' wing Academic for Action and Development Delhi Teachers' Association (AADTA) has called a protest in North Campus.

The university has defended its decision, saying that it was forced to remove the ad hoc teachers due to financial constraints. However, critics say that the university has enough money to pay its teachers, but that it is simply unwilling to do so. Kapil Sibal, in a tweet, said, "Suicide by: Former ad hoc teacher. New Education Policy? Is this the vision?" and called for putting an end to the phenomenon of having ad-hoc teachers and said the education profession should not be devalued.

Monami Basu, a member of the Delhi University Academic Council, blamed the college principals for the tragic death in an SFI-organized protest. She alleged that mass displacement was facilitated by the principals who adhered to the ruling party's diktats and failed to support colleagues.

Talking to a news group, Samarveer's cousin said that he was depressed after his removal from the college job.

Ad-hoc policy and corruption Samarveer's death highlighted the plight of ad-hoc teachers in India. There are an estimated 1.5 million ad hoc teachers in the country, who are employed on temporary contracts and are paid a pittance and do not have the same benefits as regular teachers. Ad-hoc teachers are often hired on short-term contracts and are not guaranteed job security which can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, multiple ad-hoc teachers have reportedly been dismissed after serving for several years due to brief interviews lasting only two minutes, as per allegations.

During March 2023, the Indian Education Ministry informed the Parliament that more than 6,000 teaching positions in Central Universities across the nation are unfilled.

The Chairperson of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) executive committee resigned in March 2023 alleging widespread irregularities and manipulation of NAAC's verification and grading process by vested interests. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India found discrepancies in NAAC's inspections and reports leading to inaccurate grades. He had done his masters at Hindu College itself, completing an M.Phil. degree, and was further pursuing a PhD from the Delhi University. Later, Samarveer was offered the role of a guest lecturer by the college after his removal from the ad-hoc position at the DU. Though he was yet to accept the position, he was called back to Hindu College to continue at his ad-hoc position, hence he rejected the offer of guest-lectureship, also considering there being a significant difference in the salary of an ad hoc professor and the remuneration for guest lectureship. Consequently, the police were alerted, and a mobile crime team was dispatched to force open the door. Unfortunately, Samarveer was discovered deceased inside. His body was found hanging by the ceiling fan.