Prof Dhruva Kumar Jha, who was a professor in the Department of Botany in Gauhati University, passed away on Saturday.

Prof Jha was undergoing treatment for a serious head injury following an accident a few days ago.

A pall of gloom descended over the entire university campus when the residents knew about his accident and the grave nature of the injury.

Prof Jha is survived by his wife and only son. It's an extreme loss to his family and the dear and near ones and an incalculable loss to the university, the GU Community, particularly the Department of Botany, where has served for over 30 years. It's a loss to the entire scientific community as he has been one of the finest botanists of the country, the region, and a rare asset the university had.

Prof Dhruva Kumar Jha completed his MSc in Botany from Patna University with specialisation in Plant Pathology and completed his PhD in Microbial Ecology from NEHU, Shillong.

He joined Gauhati University as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Botany in 1991 and became a Professor in 2010. He published extensively in the field and successfully guided several doctoral students leading to the degree of PhD.

His research paper on plant-growth promoting rizhobacteria with PN Bhattacharyya, published in the journal World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology (Springer) remains one of the best cited papers from Gauhati University and also in the subject with a citation over 1400 till date.