Bangalore: A top ISRO scientist claimed Tuesday he was poisoned more than three years ago. The scientist identified as Tapan Misra alleged that he was poisoned with deadly arsenic trioxide May 23, 2017. The ISRO scientist said the incident took place during a promotion interview at the ISRO headquarters here.
‘Fatal dose was probably mixed’ with chutney along with Dosa, in snacks after lunch, he said. Misra is presently working as Senior Advisor at ISRO. He is scheduled to retire at the end of this month. He had earlier served as director of Ahmedabad-based Space Application Centre.
In a Facebook post titled ‘’Long Kept Secret’, Misra further claimed that in July 2017, Home Affairs security personnel met him. They alerted him of arsenic poisoning, and helped doctors to focus on the exact remedy.
Misra said he later suffered from health issues including severe breathing difficulty. He also had skin eruptions and shedding and fungal infections on various parts of his body. He also posted the medical report on the social media platform. He claimed he had been diagnosed with arsenic toxication by the AIIMS, New Delhi.
“The motive appears to be espionage attack. It was done to harm a scientist with critical contribution of very large military and commercial significance, like expertise in building Synthetic Aperture Radar,” Misra alleged.
Misra saidWednesday, “I want the Government of India to investigate it (the incidents). The poisoning could have led to my death or create serious health disorders.