Padma Shri awardee Subbanna Ayyappan found dead; investigations underway
Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, a well-known agricultural scientist, was discovered dead in the Cauvery River in Karnataka after going missing on May 7. The police have started investigating the matter.
New Delhi (India) May 13: Dr. Subbanna Ayyappan, a Padma Shri winner and former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), was found dead under suspicious circumstances. On Saturday, May 10, a body was discovered in the River Cauvery close to Sai Ashram in Srirangapatna, Karnataka, and the police were informed.
On May 7, Dr. Ayyappan and his wife, who resided in Mysuru, went missing. After the body was recognised as his, authorities were notified on Sunday night. The mystery surrounding his death was further complicated when his scooter was found left on the riverbank.
Ayyappan was the first non-crop scientist to lead ICAR and was well-known for his role in India's Blue Revolution.
He was the director of the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) in Mumbai and the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Bhubaneswar. He also served as the first chief executive of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) in Hyderabad before becoming the Secretary of the Indian government's Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE).
He was vice-chancellor of the Central Agricultural University (CAU) in Imphal and chaired the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL).
Concerns have been expressed by Venugopal Badaravada, a former member of the ICAR Governing Body, over the "untimely and mysterious" circumstances surrounding Ayyappan's death.
Badaravada stated that, “The conditions surrounding his untimely death are deeply troubling. His scooter was found abandoned, and the cause of his death remains unclear. These circumstances demand a court-monitored CBI investigation.”
Badaravada slammed ICAR for "unlawfully" firing him from office on May 5 through "a one-sided office order without conducting a serious inquiry".
"This unlawful removal reflects a dangerous trend within ICAR, silencing whistleblowers while shielding entrenched corruption."
As the investigations are underway, the cause of his death is still unknown.
Aadrika Tayal
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