Hyderabad: India’s pioneering scientist in the field of biochemistry and molecular biology, Pushpa Mittra Bhargava, has died.
He died on Tuesday evening following a brief illness at his home in Hyderabad, his family said.
Eighty-nine-year-old Bhargava, who was born in Ajmer and did his PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, had adopted Hyderabad as his home. He founded and headed the premier research institute Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).
Bhargava had a multifaceted personality and was liberal in his thoughts. After his retirement he emerged as an activist espousing various causes, be it opposing the US invasion of Iraq or the recent waves of mob lynching in India.
Despite being old and ailing, he participated in protest demonstration “Not in My Name” in Hyderabad against lynching.
He was also at the forefront of the movement opposing the saffronisation of education and scientific research institutions in the country. He was an open and bold critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on this issue.
The news of his death was received by the scientific community and the staff of CCMB with shock.
A resolution passed by the CCMB hailed Dr Bhargava as one of the nation-building scientists who built the edifice of Indian science. “He was [an] internationally recognised molecular biologist, a thinker and an institution builder”, the CCMB staff said in a press statement.
Apart from heading the CCMB for a long time he also headed the knowledge commission set up in 2005. He was a recipient of Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 1986 for his path-breaking contribution in the field of scientific research.
