BHEL General Manager Found Dead in Office, Police Suspect Suicide

A senior official of Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), M. Shanmugam (50), was found dead in his office late Tuesday night with a gunshot wound. Police have registered the case as a suspected suicide.

Shanmugam, the General Manager of the Seamless Steel Tubes Plant (SSTP) unit, was discovered slumped on a sofa with a pistol in his hand. He had reported for duty as usual at 8:30 am on Tuesday, and as General Managers often work late, his absence at home did not raise immediate concern. However, when his wife was unable to reach him by phone, she alerted the BHEL security team, who later found him lifeless in his office.       

Police investigations suggest that Shanmugam may have acquired the firearm while in Noida. Authorities are now probing how the weapon was brought into the high-security BHEL premises. Forensic teams were called to the scene, and his body was sent to Thuvakudi Government Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Shanmugam had been with BHEL for over 25 years and was one of the youngest General Managers in the company, overseeing a workforce of more than 300 employees. He had been undergoing treatment for cardiovascular issues and was on regular medication.

He came from a family with strong ties to BHEL and is survived by his wife and a daughter, who is currently studying at a private college in Thanjavur.