MUMBAI: A 45-year-old scientist from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mankhurd was found hanging at the helium plant inside BARC on September 10.
Champalal Prajapat was a native of Sujangarh in Rajasthan and was an expert in superconductors. His close friends suspect foul play but police ruled it out. Trombay police registered an accidental death report.
A close friend of Prajapat said Ganesh Chaturthi was a holiday, but he was called to work as he was the secretary to the upcoming symposium involving his technical physics division. At 5.08pm he called his wife and said he would be home by 5.30pm . He did not return, so a friend was requested to look for him. At 7pm he was found in the helium plant hanging. His body was blue. There was no suicide note found after the incident and the hanging too “was not proper”, added the friend.
Senior inspector Siddheshwar Gove said, “The post-mortem report showed that he died by hanging. We recorded the statement of his wife and a witness, and found that he was depressed. We have learnt that he was under stress and was undergoing treatment at BARC hospital itself,’’ said Gove.
In January, scientist Anuj Tripathi (37), working in the bio-chem department of BARC, died by suicide after a tiff with his wife.
