JNU prof threatens to kill self after termination

After being abruptly terminated by the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration, a German national working on a contractual basis in the University threatened to commit suicide on Saturday.

He was stopped by some faculty members, who eventually referred him to a doctor, where it was found that he was reportedly depressed.

After treatment at Lady Hardinge Hospital, he was discharged.

According to a senior police official from South District, the German national has been identified as Stephen Baier, who was working at the School of Life Sciences at JNU as a contractual professor.

On Saturday, Baier got to know that he was terminated from his services.

In response, Baier wrote an email to the Vice-Chancellor of the University M Jagadesh Kumar and also accused him of harassment. However, the alarm bells began ringing when the professor threatened to take his life.

"He had written in the email that he was going to take his life. The faculty members were then alerted, who met him and talked him into visiting Lady Hardinge Hospital," said Additional Commissioner of Police (South) Chinmoy Biswal.

After a counselling session, it was found that Baier was depressed over the abrupt decision taken by the V-C.

Baier later reportedly came to terms with his termination and returned to his house in Vasant Kunj. One of his students also stayed the night with him as a precautionary measure.