Aligarh:
According to latest reports, an FIR has now been lodged against seven people in connection with the death of AMU Professor Srinivas Ramchandra Siras.
A case of criminal trespass has been lodged against six persons, including four senior AMU officials, on the order of a local court which was approached by gay professor Srinivas Ramchander Siras, before he allegedly committed suicide.
The FIR was lodged last night on the order issued by the Chief Judicial Magistrate here in response to a plea filed by Siras, whose gay orientation was exposed in a sting operation recently.
"Proctor of AMU Zubair Khan, Prof NAK Durrani, Media Advisor to the vice chancellor, PRO Rahat Abrar and two mediapersons belonging to a private news channel have been named in the FIR," City Superintendent of Police Maan Singh Chauhan said.
The accused have been charged under various sections of IPC pertaining to criminal trespass, physical assault and forcible disturbance of privacy rights.
The Aligarh Muslim University Professor's last rites were performed on Friday in Aligarh and his ex-wife Manasi, whom he had divorced two decades ago, came to Aligarh to attend his funeral.
Department colleagues and his family members too attended his cremation, who he had long fallen out with, though he visited them occasionally.
"''He had come to Nagpur on April 2, and was in a good mood. There was no reason for him to commit suicide?'' said Sanjeev Siras, brother of Ramchandra Siras.
Siras was found dead in his apartment on Wednesday night - the sequence leading up to his death is significant .
Originally from Nagpur, Siras had been a professor in the Department of Modern Indian Languages in Aligarh Muslim University for 22 years.
He was gay and students here say, never kept his sexual orientation a secret.
In February, the Proctor of AMU received a tape: In it, Siras had been filmed having consensual sex with another man, who police sources say, is a rickshaw-puller also possibly a gay prostitute.
Siras was sacked without an inquiry.
Supported by gay rights activists Siras moved court citing the recent Delhi High Court order decriminalising homosexuality.
The court stayed the university's decision on Friday. Five days later, Siras was found dead, his cell phone missing: Fuelling suspicion that his death was a result of foul play.
''We are here to restore the dignity he has lost and we are going to pursue the matter with the authorities," said Anand Grover, lawyer of Ramchandra Siras.
Family members and police from the university gathered today to pay their last respect to Prof Ramchandra Siras but it is doubtful whether anyone will really pursue the case to find out what led to his death.
''I don't know who to file a case against, but I will be touch with the police,'' said Sanjeev Siras.
The tragedy of his death: His family does not want to push his case.
Police say, most of them landed up only to figure out who will inherit his property. The college he gave 22 years to, had rejected him.
Even the police inquiry is being viewed with suspicion: Considering UP has a string of cases of police brutality against homosexuals.
''He had met his end not only because of the people who acted against him, but those who kept quiet are equally responsible,'' said Madihur Rahman, Professor of English, Aligarh Muslim University.
Justice for Siras, if at all, could come from the gay community that 's rallying support across the country to have his death properly investigated. (With PTI inputs)