NEW DELHI, March 21 – The Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISER) on Thursday expressed sorrow over the death of its scientist, Dr. Abhishek Swarnkar, who died following an altercation over a parking dispute in Punjab’s Mohali. IISER described the incident as a tragic loss and called for strict action against the accused.
“We have lost a brilliant mind. Such an act of violence is unacceptable, and strict action should be taken against the accused,” IISER said in a statement, as quoted by news agency IANS.
Dr. Swarnkar, 39, originally from Dhanbad in Jharkhand, had recently returned to India from Switzerland and joined IISER as a project scientist. In 2017, he was selected by the Department of Science and Technology to meet Nobel Laureates, and his research paper was recently published in the prestigious Journal of Science.
The scientist died on Tuesday night after an altercation with his neighbor, identified as Monty, over a parking issue near his rented home in Mohali’s Sector 67. According to CCTV footage, Dr. Swarnkar was removing his bike when an argument broke out. Monty pushed him to the ground and punched him, prompting intervention from the scientist’s family.
Dr. Swarnkar, who had recently undergone a kidney transplant and was on dialysis, was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. His mother, Malti Devi, recounted ongoing disputes over parking near their rented home since they moved in December 2023. She alleged that neighbors repeatedly harassed them about where to park their bike.
“They regularly bothered us, don’t park here, don’t park there. That night, my son parked his bike after returning from IISER. They asked him to remove it, and an argument broke out. My son moved the bike to show them how difficult it would be to take it out if parked where they wanted,” she told local media. The Mohali police have launched an investigation into the incident. Authorities have not yet issued a statement on possible charges against the accused.
