At a time when the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is going through a turmoil in its higher echelons, a senior executive of India’s biggest aircraft manufacturer was on Tuesday found hanging from a tree branch near Nandi Hills, about 52 km from here.
Sqn Ldr (retd) Baldev Singh, HAL’s Corporate Planning and Marketing Director, used his turban to make a noose with which he hanged himself. It was clear that he had travelled the distance from his residence, HAL Officers’ Quarters, to end his life.
The mysterious death comes in the backdrop of Singh, 58, collapsing in a recent HAL board meeting, though subsequent medical tests revealed he was normal.
Shocked colleagues and batchmates of Singh told Deccan Herald “he could not have taken this step unless he was forced into a situation that could be related to HAL”. Singh took this extreme step just weeks after he was appointed Director, Corporate Planning and Marketing, on August 16.
Wg Cdr (retd) Rajiv Kothiyal, who had worked with Singh for several years on the light combat aircraft programme in the mid-1990s, said: “It is impossible for me to digest that he has committed suicide. Baldev was not the type with a weak heart. He was a happy, full of energy kind of guy, taking things by the stride.”
Sources close to the family said: “He was to travel to Delhi on Tuesday to the Defence Secretary’s (Defence Production) meeting but he had told the family he would not go.”
His death has come as a shock to everyone who had worked with him on the various projects that he was involved in his illustrious career that had seen him don different roles, beginning from his Indian Air Force days.
Just in his last assignment as a test pilot, he has a total flight test experience of over 6,000 hours on over 55 different types of aircraft, including India’s indigenous Intermediate Jet Trainer.
The police suspect depression to be the cause of his death. Chikkaballapur Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police S Chelvaraj said: “He had come determined to kill himself. Initial investigation points fingers at a ‘typical suicide’ case.”
The police, who found Singh’s body near Mirza Circle on the way to Nandi Hills, said they identified the body based on his HAL uniform, and after verifying his debit and credit cards. Chikkaballapur Rural Sub-Inspector Aiyanna Reddy said: “We have found out that he was depressed for sometime now and it is evident from the way the incident was pre-determined.”
Rumours about work pressure having pushed him to the extent of killing himself are rife in HAL. A staffer said: “Everybody is just talking about that (work pressure) here, because we have never known him to be the kind who would do this.”
Reacting to this, HAL Chairman Ashok Nayak said: “I am just coming back from Delhi, I am not aware of anything. I can only say that it is a huge loss for HAL.” There was no official response from HAL till late Tuesday evening.
With the Baldev Singh’s ailing wife Vibhu in a state of shock, his brother Harjinder Singh filed a complaint with the police and has said that the family did not suspect anybody.
The police, quoting the first information report (FIR), said Singh left home around 9 am in the official car (Maruti Suzuki SX-4) and had directed his driver Rajesh to go to Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli.
However, he asked Rajesh to alight from the car near a flyover, took his phone from him on the excuse that his own phone had no battery charge, and asked him to wait there until he returned. “He had said he had to pick a friend up from a place nearby and that he would be back. Despite the driver insisting that he would travel with him, Singh had ordered him to stay back.”
Following a long wait, Rajesh, the police said, reported the matter to the HAL Corporate Office on Cubbon Road, as he was worried about Singh. A message from the corporate office that a director of theirs was missing led to the police to send out wireless messages and eventually find the body when some passersby informed them about the same.
“Going by the incident, it appears to be a pre-meditated move. Why would he take away the driver’s mobile otherwise,” Chelvaraj remarked.
Singh is survived by his wife Vibhu and two sons Mohit Singh and Nimit Singh, both married. Nimit lives in the US and Mohit is in Singapore.
http://www.deccanherald.com
Squadron Leader (retd) Baldev Singh, director for corporate planning and marketing at state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) committed suicide at Nandi Hills, about 50 km from Bangalore, police said Tuesday.
The 58-year-old Baldev Singh "was found hanging by a tree around noon by passersby near Mirza Circle on way to Nandi Hills and alerted us," Chickballapur Rural Deputy Superintendent of Police S. Chelvaraj told IANS.
"We lowered the body from the tree and identified him to be Baldev Singh of HAL from the credit and debit cards he was carrying in pocket," he said.
Confirming the tragic death of the company’s former chief test pilot and executive director of flight operations, HAL chairman Ashok Nayak said it was too early to say what forced him to take such an extreme step.
“I have no details on what led him to do this, as I am in Delhi. He has been very good at work and I have known him for long as he was our chief test pilot and executive director of flight operations. It is very unfortunate and a great loss to us as he was recently appointed director,” Nayak told IANS.
According to the first information report (FIR) filed by police, Baldev Singh left home around 9 a.m. in the official car and told his driver Rajesh to go to the Bangalore international airport at Devanahalli.
“At a flyover, he told the driver to alight and wait for him and drove the car himself towards Nandi hills saying he had to pick up a friend on the way. When there was no sign of Baldev Singh or response from him till noon, a worried driver reported the matter to the corporate office,” Chelvaraj said, quoting from the FIR.
What appeared to be a pre-meditate move, Baldev Singh took away the driver’s mobile handset saying his phone was not working and asked him to wait near the flyover till he returned.
“On receiving a call from HAL office about one of their directors (Baldev Singh) missing in the area, we sent a wireless message to all the police stations in our jurisdiction and rushed a search party to Nandi hills,” Chelvarj said.
Baldev Singh leaves behind his wife Vibhu and two sons Mohit Singh and Nimit Singh. Mohit lives in Singapore and Nimit in the US. His wife has been ailing for some time.
Ace fighter pilot, ex-IAF man and a director of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, Sqn Leader (retd) Baldev Singh, was found dead at Nandi Hills, some 60 km from Bangalore, on Tuesday morning.
The Chikballapur police said it looked like suicide and that he was found hanging from a tree on the hills.
Senior HAL officials said they would not know the motive for the suicide. Mr Ashok Nayak, Chairman, who flew down to Bangalore for a few hours from an IAF commanders' meeting, said he was sad to lose Sqn Leader Singh.
The latter was also holding the additional post of Director Design.
Sqn Ldr Singh, who was around 55, was appointed Director Corporate Planning & Marketing of the defence PSU only on August 16 this year. He was Executive Director Flight Operations prior to that.
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Flying record
With a distinguished flying record of 6,000 hours on 55 types of aircraft, he was a qualified flying instructor and joined HAL after he retired from IAF in 1989.
As the Chief Test Pilot (fixed wing), he flew many aircraft under development for HAL. An earlier release said he was involved with the LCA (light combat aircraft) programme from 1990 onwards and was deputed to the DRDO's Aeronautical Development Agency.
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