Kakrala (Mahendragarh): A certificate from a local library, honouring Jyoti as the only person from the area pursuing a PhD on scholarship, hangs in the house. So does grief, angst and helplessness.This is where Jyoti lived and pursued her dreams until she was suddenly found dead on the Panjab University campus, apparently electrocuted by an open feeder box.“Kisi ke bache ke saath aisa na ho (It shouldn’t happen with anyone’s child),” sobs her mother, hands folded in prayer, in this rundown house in Kakrala village of Mahendragarh, 300 km south of Chandigarh.Nearly 10 weeks after her death, her brother hasn’t got the promised job at PU, the family hasn’t got the full compensation, and they don’t even know what killed the light of their lives.The family never thought it could put a girl through college, let alone a PhD.Six months of cotton farming earned Jyoti’s family Rs 19,000. They stretched every rupee to educate Jyoti, who dreamt of giving her parents a life beyond hardship. Now, more than Rs 7 lakh in debt, a father who has given up driving the school bus that fed the family, a mother who can barely speak through her tears and a brother left without work are all that remain of the future she was building.Only Rs 5 lakh of the assistance announced after her death has reached the family, its members say. As they chase the promised support, they run into unanswered calls, repeated waits and ‘dismissive responses’ from university officials.Outside the house, father Ravindra Kumar sits among his brothers and cousins, barely lifting his eyes when spoken to. He has difficulty hearing from one ear. His cousin Jitendra says the family advised him to stop driving after Jyoti’s death because he was not in the right state of mind.Inside the house, Rajbala struggles to speak without breaking down. Her blood pressure drops frequently, and she could not sleep the previous night, says her son Pawan. Wiping her face with her chunni, she recalls how Jyoti would worry about the cost of her education.“Meri beti ko tension ho gayi thi ki hum usko padhayenge kaise kyunki humare paas sirf thodi si zameen hee thi (she was tense about how we could afford her education with the little land we have),” said Rajbala. Jyoti’s father began driving a bus while her mother looked after their cows and buffaloes and started selling milk. They took on extra work so their daughter could continue studying.Their sacrifices carried Jyoti to a PhD in microbiology at PU on a scholarship. She excelled academically and taught children in the village whenever she returned home.Jyoti had begun making plans for her parents. She booked tickets to Ujjain to take them on their first-ever trip and also bought a scooter in Chandigarh for her mother.“She’d say, mummy after my marriage, you drive it,” Rajbala says, breaking down again. The family believes the scooter is still somewhere on the university campus.Then came July 28. Jyoti called her mother, as usual, around 9-9.30am before leaving for her department. She told Rajbala it was raining. Her mother asked her to take an umbrella. Barely two minutes later, still on the call, Rajbala heard her daughter scream. “Main Mona-Mona bolti rahi par kujh jawab nahi aya (I called out, ‘Mona-Mona’, but there was silence),” Rajbala said.The family was devastated. Pawan could no longer focus on his Rs 12,000-a-month job at a private firm in Manesar and returned home. He is now waiting for the job PU promised the family. Anxiety and grief is telling on his health. “We lost our daughter, we can’t see our son helpless,” Rajbala says.PU had announced Rs 16 lakh in assistance and a job for Pawan after Jyoti’s death. The family says only Rs 5 lakh has been credited so far. What’s more, the family says it has not even received Jyoti’s post-mortem report.More than Rs 7 lakh in debt and no dependable income, the family has neither closure nor clarity on when the remaining commitments will be fulfilled.The SDM-led inquiry found lapses in electrical inspection, maintenance, supervision and safety near Girls Hostel No. 8, recommending that individual responsibility be fixed. The precise medical cause of Jyoti’s death remains unresolved pending final forensic evidence.Asked what she wants from the authorities, Rajbala folds her hands and breaks down: “No one should go through this.”Waiting In A LoopJyoti’s family says it has repeatedly approached PU officials and sent emails seeking clarity on the assistance announced after Jyoti’s death. WhatsApp exchanges shared by Jitendra show that on Aug 17 he told registrar Prof YP Verma the family was waiting to meet him. Verma replied that he was in a meeting in the Vice-Chancellor’s office and would join shortly. On Aug 25, Jitendra sought a meeting the next day to submit documents; Verma replied, “Ok”. On Aug 26, when the family waited and requested him to take a call, Verma replied that he was out of station. A call made to him in front of TOI also went unanswered.Jitendra says they sought assistance from the Governor’s office and delivered a letter at Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini’s residence.
