After 44 Aligharh Muslim University staff, 19 professors and 25 non-teaching staff died of Covid-19, the varsity's vice-chancellor has written to the  Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) asking for genome sequencing of what he suspects a "lethal" variant of the novel coronavirus.

"This is giving rise to suspicion that a particular viral variant may be circulating in the Civil Lines area of Aligarh, in which AMU and many adjoining localities are situated," Vice-Chancellor Tariq Mansoor wrote to ICMR, the central government's nodal body in this crisis, NDTV was quoted by IBNS as saying. 

The samples have been sent to Delhi's CSIR's (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research) Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology to conduct genome sequencing to identify the particular strain(s), said the report.

"This time it is worse... the mortality rate is much more this time, and it is a matter of huge concern," Shafey Qidwayi, the university's spokesperson, said.

Among the dead include Dr Shadab Khan and Dr Arif Siddique from the Medicine Department, Professor Humayun Murad from Zoology, Professor Jamshed Siddiqui from the Department of Computer Science and Professors Saeeduz Zafar and Sajid Ali Khan from the Psychology Department.

Professors from the History, Political Science, Law and Theology departments have also succumbed, it added.