After days of remaining missing, former director general of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Padma Shri recipient eminent scientist Subbanna Ayyappan was found dead in the Cauvery river in Srirangapatna, police said on Sunday. On May 7, his family filed a complaint with the Vidyaranyapuram Police Station in Mysuru, stating that he had gone missing.
PTI reported that people found his body floating in the river on Saturday and it was retrieved. According to police, his two-wheeler was discovered on the river bank and it is suspected that he might have jumped into the river. However, further investigation would be required to ascertain the exact cause of his death, police said.
70-year-old Ayyappan was known to be an agriculture and fisheries (aquaculture) scientist, and was the first non-crop scientist to head the ICAR. He is credited for playing a key role in India's 'Blue Revolution'.
What Did The Police Say?
“Ayyappan was reported missing on May 7 by his family at the Vidyaranyapuram police station in Mysuru. The 70-year-old scientist reportedly left home on his scooter without carrying his mobile phone but did not return. During investigation, his scooter was located parked nearby at the Sai Ashram”, Hindustan Times reported quoting B Prakash, inspector at the Srirangapatna police station.
“The exact reason of death is yet to be determined. Initial investigation suggests he may have entered the water three days earlier, possibly near the Sai Baba Ashram where he was known to meditate,” he said.
“The body was identified to be of Subbanna Ayyappan and shifted to KR hospital Mysuru. The body has been handed over to family members after conducting the post-mortem examination. We registered a case of unnatural death and launched investigation,” he added.
Who Is Subbanna Ayyappan?
As per media reports, Ayyappan was born on born on December 10, 1955, in Yelandur, Chamarajanagar district.
Ayyappan was a resident of Vishweshwara Nagar Industrial Area of Mysuru. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. The family informed that he used to do meditation often at the Saibaba ashram located on the banks of the Cauvery River in Srirangapatna.
His career in agricultural sciences began after completing his BFSc in 1975 and MFSc in 1977 from Mangalore. He later earned a PhD in 1998 from the University of Agricultural Sciences, Bengaluru.
He is known for playing a role in India라이브 바카라 “Blue Revolution,” pioneering methods that improvised aquaculture and fisheries. For these remarkable achievements, he was conferred the Padma Shri in 2022.
He served as director of the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA) in Bhubaneswar and the Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE) in Mumbai.
He was also the founding chief executive of the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) in Hyderabad and served as Secretary of the Department of Agricultural Research and Education (DARE), Government of India. In his later years, he was chairman of the National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL) and Vice-Chancellor of the Central Agricultural University (CAU), Imphal.
