Panjab University had not contacted the family of deceased PhD scholar Jyoti by Monday evening, despite the family continuing to await ₹11 lakh in promised assistance, a job for her brother and her postmortem report, according to a report by The Times of India.
Jyoti, who was pursuing a PhD in the university’s microbiology department, died near Girls Hostel No. 8. The university had announced financial assistance of ₹16 lakh and a job for her brother, Pawan, after her death. The family said it had received only ₹5 lakh, leaving ₹11 lakh pending.
The family also said no university official had called her father, Ravindra Kumar, her brother or their relative to explain the delay or provide a timeline. University officials have maintained that the pending matters are “under process”, but the family said it had received no communication despite repeatedly approaching the administration and travelling to the campus.
The delay has added to the family’s financial distress. Kumar, who previously drove a school bus to support the household, has stopped working since his daughter’s death. Jyoti’s mother, Rajbala, remains unwell, while Pawan left his job in Manesar after the tragedy and has been waiting for the employment promised by the university.
The family, which lives in Kakrala village in Haryana’s Mahendragarh district, nearly 350 km from Chandigarh, said it currently has no dependable source of income and is carrying debts exceeding ₹7 lakh. The family’s account places the pending institutional commitments within a wider problem of access: repeated visits to the university have not produced a clear update on when the assistance or job will be delivered.
Questions over the circumstances surrounding Jyoti’s death also remain unresolved. Two engineering officials who were suspended after the incident were reinstated before the magisterial enquiry was completed. A subsequent enquiry led by the sub-divisional magistrate found serious deficiencies in electrical safety and recommended departmental action against officials responsible for maintenance and supervision.
The findings place electrical maintenance and supervision at the centre of the continuing accountability process. However, the family is still awaiting clarity on action following the enquiry, as well as the postmortem report. The report does not specify whether the recommended departmental action has been implemented.
The university’s pending commitments include the balance of the announced financial assistance and employment for Pawan. By Monday evening, the family said it had not received any official update, even after its concerns were publicly highlighted.
