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Does anyone care that India's nuclear scientists are dying inexplicably?

Over the last few years, a number of Indian scientists have died in mysterious circumstances, only to have their deaths classified by the police as unexplained or suicides.

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FP Staff|Nov 27, 2013, 12:14:07 IST

India is turning out to be a dangerous place to work for nuclear scientists. Over the last few years, a number of scientists have died in mysterious circumstances, only to have their deaths classified by the police as unexplained or suicides.The latest incident took place in October, when the bodies of two senior engineers (one of whom was working at INS Arihant, India's first nuclear-powered submarine) were found on railway tracks near Viskhapatnam by railway workers. The police decided it was a routine accident and chose not to investigate despite the family members of the two engineers saying there were no visible injury marks on the bodies when they were found. [caption id="attachment_1251215" align="alignleft" width="380"]Trombay, India's first nuclear site. Wikipedia. Trombay, site of India's first nuclear reactor. Wikipedia.[/caption]A story on the Vice website recounts other similar incidents and points out that this has been a disconcerting trend in India and that neither the government or the media seem concerned by these incidents."If the deaths of those in the community aren't classed as suicide, they're generally labeled as unexplained." A good example is the case of M Iyer, who was found with internal haemorrhaging to his skull—possibly the result of a "kinky experiment," according to a police officer. After a preliminary look-in, the police couldn't work out how Iyer had suffered internal injuries while not displaying any cuts or bruises, and investigations fizzled out."The story goes on to suggest the possibility of a conspiracy aimed at restricting India’s nuclear capabilities and compares the reaction of the Indian government over these deaths to the deaths to the reaction of the Iranian government to deaths of their scientists. The Iranian government has at least point the finger of blame at the United States and Israel and publicly claimed they are investigating, unlike its Indian counterpart, which has remained mostly silent. Read the entire Vice story here.

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First Published:Nov 26, 2013, 16:48:11 IST
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