BARC staffer's body found in a well

Yet another case of suicide was reported in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, after the body of an employee was found floating in a well.

46-year old Subash Sonawane, a tradesman working in the Waste Management Division of BARC, had entered the premises at 0800 hrs on Friday morning. His body was found after around two hours later in a well near the Waste Immobilization Plant (WIP), a press release issued by BARC said.

Sonawane, who had joined BARC in February 1998 is survived by his wife and one son. He has been undergoing psychiatric treatment for the last 12 years at the BARC hospital, the release said, adding he had earlier in 1999 also attempted to kill himself.

The suburban Trombay police is investigating the case to ascertain if there is any foul play. In March this year, a 27-year-old woman, Titas Pal working as a scientist in BARC had committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling fan at her residence in the BARC quarters.

In the same month, the decomposed body of Mahadev Iyer, a BARC researcher, was recovered from his residence in the BARC quarters. While the police initially suspected it to be suicide, it later claimed that Iyer was murdered.