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A university head of the Communist Party in southwest China was found dead after a bitter dispute with a colleague.
Police in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province, said Mao Hongtao’s body was found in a river on Friday morning after a nightly search.
Police said they had been alerted after the 50-year-old man posted on social media that he intended to take his own life.
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Mao also alleged that he had been subjected to “persecution and injustice” by the president of Chengdu University, Wang Qingyuan.
The university issued a brief statement late Friday expressing “shock and grief” over Mao’s death and said it would cooperate with the police investigation of the case.
Mao began working at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics in 1996 after graduating from the university with a master’s degree in accounting.
He was vice president of the Sichuan College of Tourism from 2014 to 2016 and vice mayor of Meishan City until February last year, when he was appointed party head of Chengdu University.
Chinese universities adopt a dual leadership model in which the party chief is responsible for the political side of things, while the president directs the day-to-day operations and implements the party’s decisions.
At a national conference on the “ideological and political work” of universities in January, President Xi Jinping said the model should continue to ensure the party’s control over higher education.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who has them, help is available. For Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at +1 800 273 8255. For a list of helplines for other nations, see this page
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