Radioactivity on the loose

Reports of radioactive material up for sale illegally in the open market is a point of concern. It not only impacts regional and international security, but also throws open the vista of non-state actors using it for nefarious designs. India has surely not lived up to the expectations, and such recurring incidents of theft and sale of nuclear and other radioactive materials is in need of a thorough probe, and subsequent clampdown. It is not that Pakistan has brought up this issue and, thus, it should be treated with a pinch of state-bias, but the point is that the possession of Sealed Radioactive Source material, like californium, by the apprehended individuals in several Indian states must lead to some serious introspection and retribution.

It is undoubtedly a security lapse, and New Delhi should look into it. The arrest of three individuals in Bihar who were carrying 50 grams of radioactive californium worth $100 million is a nightmare to believe in. Similarly in 2021, a few more incidents of seizure of stolen radioactive material were reported in India, and some of them were sneaked out from Bhabha Atomic Research Center. This means the slip is somewhere intuitively inside the security apparatus, and that cannot be brushed aside. It is equally unsafe for the Indian polity too as its plausible usage by disgruntled political and secessionist elements will have a cost to pay.

The phenomenon of radioactive substances falling in the hands of market forces is an outcome of the Soviet Union's disintegration. Men and material were at loose in the region and beyond, and the talent and substance was acquired by state-centric forces too for bolstering their defence and security profiles. But a good amount of such stuff went wayward, and the new revelations from inside India of its sale and purchase is alarming.

As Pakistan and India have a protocol to share their nuclear assets year-wise, a similar understanding at large is needed to keep a tab on fissile material to keep the environs safe from the pollution and proliferation of radioactivity.