An IIT Kanpur Professor has collapsed during a speech and passed away.
Sameer Khandekar, the dean of student affairs and head of mechanical engineering department, IIT Kanpur collapsed on the dais while giving a speech on Friday evening.
His body has been placed at the health centre for people to pay their last respects.
Reportedly, Prof Khandekar was addressing the alumni meet on health when he stumbled and fell in the IIT’s auditorium.
The reports quoting eye witnesses said Prof Khandekar’s final words were ‘Take care of your health.’
Witnesses noted his voice wavering, and he succumbed to profuse sweating before collapsing on stage.
The witnesses said for a few minutes, they thought the professor, overwhelmed by emotion, had sat down on the dais. But when he did not show any sign of motion, he was rushed to the cardiology institute. He was declared dead upon arrival.
Prof Khandekar, an IIT Kanpur alumnus, had battled health issues related to cholesterol in 2019, and had been undergoing treatment since then.
Beyond academics, his contributions to the institute included active engagement with students and a recent visit to Sopan ashram just days before the unfortunate incident.
The alumni meet, held in the IIT’s auditorium, was attended by distinguished personalities, including noted physicists Padma Shri awardee Prof Harish Chandra Varma, with whom he was also associated.
The reports said that Prof Khandekar’s collapse occurred around 6 PM while he was passionately addressing the audience.
“Two days ago, he visited Sopan Ashram and spoke to students about science and gave invaluable tips,” the reports quoted witnesses as having said.
The news has left the IIT community in shock, with students, faculty, and alumni grappling with the sudden loss of the leading academician. The final rites for Prof Khandekar will take place after the arrival of his son, Pravah Khandekar, who studies in Cambridge University.
Born in Jabalpur, Prof Khandekar earned his BTech from IIT Kanpur and pursued a PhD in mechanical engineering from Germany. In 2020, he assumed the role of head of the mechanical engineering department, leaving behind a legacy of dedication to education and well-being. The 55-year-old academician left behind his parents, his wife, Pradhanya Khandekar, and son.
