Mystery fire at BARC. There is no room for complacency

There is cause for concern over the mysterious fire that broke out in the chemical laboratory of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai on Tuesday in which two researchers were charred to death. According to the Director of the Chemistry group of BARC, Mr Tulsi Mukherjee, the chemicals in the lab were “non-inflammable” and the lab did not have any explosives. Yet, the fire erupted with “a loud bang” shattering a couple of windows, pointing to the possible presence of explosives. That the mishap occurred against the backdrop of a recent Intelligence Bureau alert which said that India’s nuclear facilities could be under a terror threat cannot be dismissed as inconsequential. Significantly, a former Director of BARC, A.N. Prasad, has been quoted as saying that it could be “some one’s” way of checking the preparedness of the nuclear centre in the backdrop of the intelligence reports of a possible terror attack. While the Department of Atomic Energy spokesperson S K Malhotra was emphatic that there was no “reactor, radioactivity or radiation” involved in the accident, that too is not enough to lull the authorities into complacency.

This is the third time in the recent past that a nuclear establishment in India has been the victim of mishaps. The first incident occurred at the Kaiga Atomic Power Station in Karnataka where a ‘disgruntled’ staffer allegedly contaminated drinking water with a small amount of heavy water. Routine urine samples from a number of staff at the plant were found to have elevated levels of radiation. The second incident occurred at the Tarapur Atomic Power Station where CISF personnel nabbed several people attempting to smuggle out some computer-related parts. That in the Kaiga incident investigations have hit a dead end and in the Tarapur one no deterrent action has been taken speaks for itself.
It is indeed imperative that the latest case of the fire at BARC not be taken lightly. After the forensic probe is completed, the authorities must get to the root of the incident and fix responsibility without fear or favour. Besides, there is no escape from a heightened vigil.

Source: The Tribune, Chandigarh, India.

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