Last month, authorities in Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand, India, arrested a five-member gang for possessing the illegal radioactive substance known as 'Californium'. Californium is a radioactive substance which initiates nuclear chain reactions in nuclear weapons and reactors, serving as power sources. However, the device that was recovered from an alleged gang’s custody by the Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) was stolen from the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC). This is not the first incident caught and reported; instead, three other similar instances of radioactive material theft cases surfaced in the past three years. These cases raise a gigantic question mark on the safety, and most importantly, on the security structure of the Indian nuclear program.
Before delving into the details of these reported theft cases of illicit radioactive material, it is a fundamental requirement to briefly analyze the Indian Nuclear Command and Control (NC&C) structure. The Indian NC&C structure is assertive, which means that complete control of the nuclear facilities, both civilian and military, lies under the control of the country’s Nuclear Command Authority (NCA), an amalgamation of political leadership and civil-military bureaucracies.
Despite having the strong assertive NC&C system as has always been propagated, the theft cases of dangerous radioactive material are raising the finger on the safety and security protocols of the Indian nuclear programs. The facility, BARC, from where such theft cases have occurred, comes under government’s oversight and operates under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE).
The technical aspect of such radioactive substances can be argued that the quantity of theft substances recovered from the alleged thieves is not as detrimental, but instead the question here is more of a handling of these sensitive materials by the state. The Indian nuclear safety and security system has been breached not once, twice, but evidently three times in four years which is an alarming sign. This reveals the inadequacy of the Indian authorities for ensuring foolproof security in this regard.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Pakistan has issued a brief, yet calculated statement on the issue, “These recurring incidents call into question the measures taken by New Delhi for the safety and security of nuclear and other radioactive material. These incidents also suggest the existence of a black market for sensitive, dual use materials inside India.” The apprehension that if theft cases of these sorts are continuously taking place in India, then there might be a possibility of an illegal market place where such toxic substances get sold as well.
The international community is not unaware of India's history of transparency in nuclear exchange agreements. India developed its first atomic bomb in 1974 from nuclear plant provided by Canada for peaceful purposes. India cheated and violated the norms for peaceful uses of nuclear technology. Despite this blatant violation of the civil nuclear cooperation agreement, the international community and institutions played an unproductive role in hindering India from pursuing this dangerous path instead indirectly provided India with technical and technological knowledge in this regard.
Now, all eyes are fixed on the international community and institutions that how they are going to react to this threatening situation. However, it is also a bitter fact that India got away with similar cases in the past as well only, because it is one of the strategic partners of the United States who plays a crucial role in the 21st century Great Power contestation.
Apart from that, from nuclear safety and security perspective, these theft cases must be dealt seriously because if such radioactive materials, irrespective of the quantity, reached to the hands of rogue elements it could cause an unimaginable damage that will threaten vital security interest of the US as well in the region. Therefore, interference by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) responsible for the safety and security of the civil nuclear reactors of NWSs has become imminent. Additionally, Pakistan and China need to raise this issue proactively at the international forums in order to make the world realize the severity of the issue because neglection of these incidents would be quite detrimental for regional peace and security.
