Protests erupted in Delhi University on Thursday after a former ad-hoc teacher of the Hindu College was found hanging in his home months after he was removed from the job, reported PTI.

Samarveer, 33, taught philosophy at Hindu College and lost his job in February, reported The Indian Express. At the time, interviews for permanent teaching positions were being held in the college and he was replaced by another teacher.

A native of Molki village in Rajasthan’s Baran district, Samarveer was on Wednesday night, found hanging from a ceiling fan in a room, which he shared with his cousin who had gone out at the time of incident, reported PTI.

“The top floor of his house has two rooms,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer) Harendra K Singh told The Indian Express. “One of the rooms was locked. First, the mesh of the iron door was cut and then the wooden door was broken. He was unmarried. We took him to MV Hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead.”

He added: “On inquiry, his cousin revealed that the deceased was working as an ad-hoc lecturer at the Hindu college. Recently, another lecturer was appointed in his place. He was under depression…The post-mortem will be conducted at BJRM [Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital] on Thursday.”

On Thursday, protestors in Delhi University’s North Campus demanded that teachers who have been serving at the university as ad hoc lecturers for several years should be given preference during hiring.

“If appointments are being made like this, a good university will be lost,” Miranda House Associate Professor Abha Dev Habib told The Indian Express. “Ad hoc teachers are being displaced in all colleges, almost entirely in the departments like the Ramjas [College] history and statistics departments. There needs to be an inquiry. Teachers who have taught for 10 years are being displaced on the basis of a two-minute interview.”