As many as 17 professors of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) have succumbed to COVID-19 in the last 18 days.   Prof Shakeel Samdani, dean of the Law Faculty of AMU who was undergoing treatment at Aligarh’s Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, passed away onMay 7, taking the toll to 17.
Prof Samdani was a member of the executive committee of the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board. He was admitted to the Covid ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, 10 days ago. He was also suffering from diabetes and hypertension.
The first death was recorded when former proctor and DSW Prof Jamshed Ali Siddiqui passed away on April 20. All the deceased professors lived in different areas of Aligarh.
Earlier, Medical department chairman Prof Shadab Ahmed Khan (58) and Prof Rafiqul Zaman Khan (55)  from the Computer department  had also scummed to COVID-19. At the same time, Umar Farooq, brother of the vice-chancellor, also succumbed to the infection. He was a former member of the University Court and member of Mohammedan Educational Conference.
In the Covid ward of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, 16 people, including faculty members, are currently under treatment.
Prof Aftab Alam, former secretary of the Teachers Association at Aligarh Muslim University, has prepared a list of the teachers who have succumbed to COVID-19.
The list includes the names of Prof Shakeel Samdani, Prof Jamshed Ali Siddiqui, Prof Ehsanullah Fahd, Maulana Bakhs Ansari, Mohd Ali Khan, Qazi Mohammed Jamshed, Mohd Younus Siddiqui, Gufran Ahmed, Sajid Ali Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Aziz Faisal, Mohammed Saiduzzaman, Jibrail, Khalid bin Yusuf and Mohammad Yousuf Ansari.
“This is a very bad phase for the university. It has never happened before that so many people associated with the university have died,” Prof Aftab Alam said on Sunday.
Not just the working professors but the retired professors of Aligarh Muslim University have also fallen prey to the deadly virus. So far, 10 retired AMU professors have succumbed to COVID-19, four of whom died in Kanpur.