A senior ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) scientist has claimed that he was poisoned over three years ago with deadly arsenic trioxide during a promotional interview at the national space agency's headquarters in Bengaluru.
Tapan Misra, who is currently working as a Senior Advisor at ISRO, alleged that the anti-cancer chemotherapy drug was administered to him on May 23, 2017. He is also going to retire at the end of this month.
Misra hinted that this could be an "espionage attack" to kill a top scientist who was involved in secret and important military-related projects.
His food was laced with deadly medication, Mishra alleged. He added that the "fatal dose was probably mixed" with chutney along with Dosa, in snacks after lunch.
In a Facebook post titled ''Long Kept Secret'', Misra further claimed that in July 2017, Home Affairs security personnel met him and alerted him of arsenic poisoning which helped doctors focus on the exact remedy.
Long Kept Secret We, in ISRO, occasionally heard about highly suspicious death of Prof. Vikram Sarabhai in 1971. Also...
Posted by Tapan Misra on Tuesday, 5 January 2021
Misra claimed he later suffered from health issues including severe breathing difficulties, unusual skin eruptions, skin shedding and fungal infections.
He also posted his medical report on the social media platform claiming he was diagnosed with arsenic toxication at AIIMS, New Delhi.
"The motive appears to be espionage attack...to remove a scientist with critical contribution of very large military and commercial significance, like expertise in building Synthetic Aperture Radar," he alleged.
Talking to PTI, Misra said, "I want the Government of India to investigate it (the incidents)." Meanwhile, ISRO hasn't responded to his claims yet.