London, January 14
Insisting that Indian-origin Mathematics lecturer Devinder Sivia and noted astrophysicist Stephen Rawlings were the best of friends for decades, the widow and sister of the late Oxford professor do not want Sivia's reputation to be "tarnished".

The fresh remarks came at a time when the 915-year-old University of Oxford remains in a state of shock over Rawlings' death and the arrest of Sivia. Sivia (49) was arrested and taken away in handcuffs from his house in Southmoor, Oxfordshire, after Rawlings' body was found on Wednesday night.

He has since been released on bail until April 18, without any charge. Rawlings (50) was described as an "intense" person who suffered from stress and was found last year wandering around in the Oxfordshire village in the middle of the night in a dressing gown.

Investigation into Rawlings' death may have shifted from a murder investigation, as indicated by Detective Superintendent Rob Mason, who said the death "may be a matter for a coroner's inquest rather than a criminal court".

Linda Rawlings, the late professor's devastated wife, urged people not to blame Sivia for the death.

She said: "Steve and Devinder were best friends since college, and I believe this is a tragic accident. "Steve is a man of integrity, kindness and a very accessible person...I do not believe that Steve's death is murder and I do not believe Devinder should be tarnished in this way".

Rawlings's sister, Linda Davey, added that Sivia and Rawlings had been friends for 30 years.

She said: "We can't think that there was any kind of fight. We can only assume that it was a terrible accident".

Despite initial reports that Rawling died of a heart attack, a Thames Valley Police spokesman said a postmortem had proved "totally inconclusive" and that further tests were being carried out. Gurbaksha Sivia, father of Devinder Sivia, told the media that Rawlings and his son were "like brothers".

He said: "It is a shock, it is a tragedy. It is hard to believe and hard to understand what happened". Explaining that his son had told him he hoped the matter would be sorted out, he added:

"He is shocked himself. He was his best friend. He said nothing of a fight or a falling out. I can't believe they would have fallen out.” — PTI