Noted nuclear scientist Sekhar Basu (68), former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), passed away on Thursday due to Covid-19 at a private hospital in Kolkata. A Padma Shri awardee, soft-spoken Basu is survived by his wife and son.

Prior to becoming the AEC Chairman, Basu was the Director of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC). In the Indian nuclear science circle, the unassuming Basu was termed as a man of few words but an action-oriented good task master. Incidentally, it was Basu who headed the project to develop the shore-based 80 MW reactor that was the prototype for the one that propels INS Arihant.