Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir today held a condolence meeting to mourn the sudden death of Prof Akhtar Ali Khan.
Prof Khan, 53, breathed his last in the early hours of Tuesday in his residential quarters at SKUAST-K Shalimar campus.
A distinguished scientist and academician, Prof Khan hailed from Begameer, Sant Kabir Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. He joined SKUAST-K in 2004 and was presently serving as Head, Division of Entomology. A special condolence meeting was convened today at the Vice Chancellor’s Conference Hall, which was attended by the officers of the university, faculty members, SKUAST-K non-teaching staff, and students to pay tributes to Prof Akhtar and show solidarity with his family.
During the meeting, speakers described Prof Khan’s death as an ‘irreparable loss’ that has left the entire university community shell-shocked.
Colleagues, including the Registrar and the Dean Students Welfare, shared emotional tributes, remembering him not only as an able teacher and prolific scientist but as a man with qualities of ‘head and heart’. He was fondly recalled for his jovial personality, his charming demeanour, and the warmth he brought to the campus.
“His contributions to the academic and scientific landscape of this university are etched in history and will be remembered for generations to come,” a senior faculty member remarked during the assembly. Prayer meetings for the deceased were also held at various other campuses of the SKUAST-K.
The university administration and the Scientists & Teachers Association (SSTA) remained in constant support of the family in this hour of grief and mourning, coordinating closely till the body of the deceased was flown to his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh for the last rites.
The participants offered collective prayers, seeking Jannat-ul-Firdous for the departed soul and strength for his family to bear this tragic loss. Prof Akhtar Ali Khan is survived by his wife, two daughters, and a son.
