An unfortunate incident occurred on Monday afternoon when a 50-year-old scientist working at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Trombay was discovered dead and committed suicide. Manish Somnath Sharma, the deceased person’s name, had worked at BARC as a scientific officer since 2000. He and his wife, Neetu, lived together in one of the BARC quarters.
The Trombay police claim that “Neetu used her spare key to enter her home after arriving from work on Monday at 2:37 p.m. The disturbing sight of Sharma hanging from a fan in the hallway room using a nylon rope shocked her”.
Neetu immediately screamed for help, and nearby residents and bystanders rushed to her rescue. Sharma was successfully lowered to ground level. The ambulance from BARC Hospital was called to Anushakti Colony in Chembur, but sadly, Sharma passed away before it could get there.
The police and forensics team searched Sharma’s home and found a scribbled suicide note on the wall of his hall room. The letter began with the words “Sorry Beta,” signifying a painful departure. Neetu disclosed to the police that her husband has suffered from depression since 2001 and has been receiving therapy at the psychiatry department of BARC Hospital. He had been taking medication as well.
Manish went to BARC in September 2000 after completing his Master of Technology in 1998 with a focus in thermal engineering. His main areas of focus were natural circulation research using supercritical fluids and safety studies for modern nuclear reactors. His skills included nuclear reactor safety assessments and thermal hydraulic design.
The forensics team will examine the materials recovered at the site, especially the nylon rope as well as the scrawled suicide note. As nothing suspicious appears to have occurred, the police have officially opened a case of accidental death.
In a suicide letter that he left for his family, Manish Sharma also expressed regret for taking his own life and blamed himself for the fateful decision. According to reports, the scientist’s wife, Neetu Sharma, found her husband hanging from the ceiling fan with a nylon noose at 2:30 p.m. on Monday when she arrived home with their son.
According to senior inspector Ravindra Runashevre of the Trombay police station, “the family had no complaints to make about anyone in this regard”.
According to reports, “Manish Sharma, the scientist, had been receiving treatment for his severe depression for more than 20 years”.
A similar incident happened in September 2021, when a scientist from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mankhurd, Mumbai, is said to have killed himself by hanging himself within the campus’ helium plant.
According to a Trombay police station official, “G Champalal Prajapati (44), a scientific officer with the Department of Technical Physics, committed suicide.” He was a superconductor specialist from Sujangarh, Rajasthan. His wife called his coworkers after failing to arrive home in time on the day of the tragedy, and they eventually discovered the scientist hanging”.