NAGPUR: Kavikulaguru Kalidas Sanskrit University suffered a major loss on Saturday day as its Vice-Chancellor, Prof Hareram Tripathi, passed away in a tragic road accident along with his wife, Badami Tripathi. The accident occurred early morning near Mau, Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh. Their driver, Vaibhav Mishra, was seriously injured and is undergoing treatment in hospital.The sudden demise of Prof. Tripathi and his wife has shocked the entire university community.Prof. Tripathi was a renowned scholar of Indian philosophy, Navya Nyaya, Sankhya Yoga and Nyaya Shastra. He took charge as Vice-Chancellor on June 7, 2023. In his two-year tenure, he secured grants of around Rs 70 crore for the university, initiated several research projects, and organized seminars, workshops, and conferences. Recently, on August 1, 2025, the Dr. Hedgewar Academic Building at the university’s Varanga campus was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and RSS Chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat. He also oversaw the completion of the research hostel and Dr. Totade auditorium. On Friday, he personally handed promotion letters to six professors.Before joining KKSU, Prof. Tripathi served as Professor of Indian Philosophy at Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri National Sanskrit University, New Delhi, and also held the post of Vice-Chancellor at Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. He was honored with several prestigious awards including the Maharshi Badarayan Presidential Award, Shankar Vedanta Award, Panini Samman, and the Uttar Pradesh Sanskrit Sansthan Distinguished Service Award for his outstanding contributions to Sanskrit studies.Leaders and dignitaries across the country have expressed grief over his untimely death, calling it a huge loss to Sanskrit scholarship. Maharashtra Governor C. P. Radhakrishnan, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, and Nagpur Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule have extended their condolences.