Threat of Indian Nuclear Assets Falling To Maoists
Threat of Indian Nuclear Assets Falling To Maoists
There has been a most serious development that the Indian National Security Adviser (NSA) Shiv Shankar Menon falsely stated at the Asian security conference currently being held in Singapore, that it is evident that sections of the community of analysts in other countries have started questioning the security of India's nuclear arsenal should India be unable to reverse the successes of the Maoists. The NSA has explained why the Maoists do not pose a threat to India's nuclear arsenal. It is a purely rural-based insurgency with very little support in the urban areas. It is purely an Indian movement with an Indian agenda and not a global movement with a global agenda. He further stated that since Maoists' movement recruits mainly from the semi-literate or illiterate tribal communities, the Internet holds no attraction for them. It has not shown much interest in typical terrorist operations like aviation or maritime terrorism. It is old insurgency still inspired and influenced by Mao's Yenan model and not new insurgency. Though Mr. Menon's speech sounds "no real threat" from the Maoists but the reality speaks otherwise. It has been repeatedly brought to the limelight the issue of global threat posed by Maoists. This threat maximized specially due to the ability of these forces to exploit their current power to grab Nukes, Uranium and lot more from the potential Nuclear Installations located in the areas under the control of these insurgents. The recent incidents of Uranium theft in India are not hidden from the eyes of the world community. Recent radioactive contamination in Delhi due to exposure to Cobalt also raised huge alarms and caught UN's attention that has formed a commission to probe this matter. These facts are enough to prove the lethality of Maoists/Naxals as during the first five months of 2010, six States have suffered fatalities in the security forces at the hands of Maoists-Chattisgarh (103 ), West Bengal (32),Orissa (17), Jharkand (10), Bihar (6), and Maharashtra(2). The same six States suffered fatalities in 2009 too----- Chattisgarh ( 121), Jharkand (67), Maharashtra ( 52), Orissa (32), Bihar (25 ), and West Bengal (15). While the ground situation has remained as serious in Chattisgarh as it was in 2009, it has deteriorated in West Bengal. There has been a downward trend in Jharkand, Bihar, Orissa and Maharashtra. Indian NSA Mr. Menon also tried to trick the minds of the participants of the Asian security conference by declaring that Maoists insurgency is supported by illiterate and semi illiterate masses of India. Unfortunately he was unable to assess that the areas where Maoists are infesting are densely populated and have healthy literacy rate as compared to other parts of India. The map linked below clearly shows that the states like Chattisgarh, West Bengal and Orissa have quite impressive literacy rate which clearly nullifies the baseless claim by Mr. Menon that the insurgency is triggered and controlled by the illiterates. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/India_literacy_rate_map_en.svg http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/The_Red_Corridor_ver_1.PNG Under recent reports that Maoists are intensifying new recruitments drive that has attracted many poor youths. It is possible that in the coming months India would see the worst and the most dangerous insurgency in the history of the world. Another possibility is gaining strength that Al Qaeda or any anti American terrorist group may find Maoists as potential recruits to capture either Uranium or even can reach Nukes of India with ultimate ease. The reports of pathetic security arrangements at Indian Nuclear sites gives possibility to such notion because as stated earlier the incidents of Uranium theft are increasing enormously in India since last few months. The following report is an eye opener for many
NUCLEAR SECURITY REVIEW: A MUST FOR INDIA
Siddharth Ramana Research Officer, IPCS (Institute of Peace & Conflict Studies) The recent incident in New Delhi which resulted in the radiation poisoning of five scrap metal workers has highlighted concerns about the country's nuclear safety and security.
The incident coincided with the Nuclear Security Summit which would focus on these issues in the context of preventing terrorists from gaining access to nuclear materials. In addition, a Nuclear Safety and Liability Bill is under consideration by India to fix liability for nuclear incidents in the country. According to the Department of Atomic Energy, the Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology is the principal supplier of the radiological substances to licensed authorities, and follows a strict supply, monitoring and retrieving mechanism to ensure the safe use and disposal of radioactive waste. How radioactive substance managed to find its way into a crowded market in Delhi, and it took five days for the authorities to deal with this problem reflects poorly on India's radiation detection arrangements but also on its management of radiological substances.
Radiological waste is any material which releases radiation that has been or will be discarded as being of no further use. While it may have lost its utility for its authorized purpose, it can become a deadly weapon in the hands of anti-social elements, including terrorists, who can use the material to make a radiological dispersal device' or RDD. A RDD is referred to in common parlance as a dirty bomb', a bomb which can disperse radiological material over an area and cause death, injury and widespread panic, depending on the lethality of the explosive device. It is established that terrorist groups like al Qaeda have persistently attempted to acquire radiological materials for making a nuclear device, or a far more easily manufactured RDD. The incident in Delhi is not the first example of radiological material making its way into unauthorized hands. Unfortunately, while the Indian Prime Minister has repeatedly maintained that India has an impeccable' record in nuclear security and safety, there have been many documented instances of such incidents that should be of concern to the security establishment. One of the earliest such incidents involving accidental radiation occurred on 27 July 1991 when a number of labourers were affected by radiation poisoning at the heavy water plant in Rawatbhata in Rajasthan. In November 2009, over 50 workers at the Kaiga Nuclear plant were hospitalized after they showed symptoms of radiation poisoning. Investigations into this incident showed that the workers had ingested Tritium, which was maliciously mixed in a water cooler at the plant.
In another incident, workers at the Waste Immobilization Plant (WIP) at Tarapur were affected by radiation when a co-worker had deliberately placed a few drops of radiological waste in the working premises. The incident came to light when instruments kept in the laboratory for measuring radiation registered abnormal radioactivity.
The absence of simple security measures has frustrated investigations into these incidents of radiological poisoning. The Minister of State in the PMO, Prithviraj Chavan, admitted in the Indian Parliament that the government had not installed CCTV cameras in the nuclear facility. According to him "the government would install cameras and CCTVs in all such areas." However, in facilities at Kalpakkam, security norms were not in place when a leak led to the mixing of two kinds of radioactive wastes leading to increased radioactivity in the area. Six workers were affected, and investigations showed that there were no monitors to detect the radiation level in the area, and that the workers were not wearing personal thermo luminescent dosimeters, which registers the radiation received.
Safety and security at nuclear mining sites and facilities are also repeatedly belied by reports of thefts and uranium smuggling rings operating in the states of Jharkhand and Meghalaya. In a shocking admission, former Jharkand Chief Minister Madhu Koda admitted that a uranium-filled analyzer' was reportedly stolen from a federal atomic facility near the densely-populated town of Rajrappa. In addition, facilities at cargo entry points and scrap yards warrant attention by the security agencies regarding the import of radiological waste materials from abroad. The Indian customs authorities have not yet installed radiation detection equipment at ports of entry making it very easy to smuggle dangerous nuclear material into the country. Repeated incidents involving radiological waste from abroad have failed to jolt any national consideration of this issue. Even more telling is that the National Disaster Management Authority has not been able to move ahead on the subject of radiation terrorism as plainly evident in the slow pace with which the investigations on the Delhi incident is being handled. A major review of the preparedness in India to face the threat of nuclear terrorism and these radiological incidents is strongly warranted, especially due to the proposed increase of nuclear facilities in the country. The above report raises serious concerns over the issue of Indian Nuclear Assets and the most fragile security arrangements. If the world would not focus clearly on this issue God forbid, we may see or experience any loss of huge magnitude. It can be strongly stated that Maoist together with Indian Mujahideen can create a huge threat for the world if any kind of Raw Nuclear Bomb is made by the terrorist organizations only because of India's weakness to handle its nuclear might. It is also the responsibility of International community, specially that of United States of America to take the matter of fragility of Indian Nuclear Assets in the light of recent attempts of terrorism in New York.
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