India, Nov. 7 -- Eminent astronomer and former director of the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Prof Naresh Dadhich, passed away in Beijing, China, following a heart attack. He was 81 years old.

Prof Dadhich had travelled to Beijing to attend an academic conference and was engaged in collaborative research there for about a month. Over the past couple of days, he had been feeling slightly unwell. According to sources from IUCAA, he was reportedly stable this morning, but his condition suddenly deteriorated, and he passed away in the afternoon (local time). Efforts are currently underway to bring his mortal remains back to India.

Born on September 1, 1944, Prof Dadhich was a theoretical physicist known for ...