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The Indian nuclear program has a long history of being thwarted by intelligence agencies. Not unexpected, considering the ramifications of nuclear military powe

The Indian nuclear program has a long history of being thwarted by intelligence agencies. Not unexpected, considering the ramifications of nuclear military power. In the past, it was the scientists of the program who were targeted, and were killed mysteriously. [0] [0] https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/qbepmd/why-are-indian-authorities-ignoring-the-deaths-of-nuclear-scientists https://www.vice.com/en_ca/article/qbepmd/why-are-indian-aut...

ignoramous 7y ago
Doesn't take away the fact that the government seems woefully ill-equipped technology esp to tackle cyber security threats? Defence might qualify too sensitive to adopt tech from US, Israeli, Chinese, or Russian tech? Is the local talent up to the task incl working on/for government projects?
- ganeshkrishnan 7y ago
  Ill equipped is the wrong word. Not equipped might be right. I did contract work for few of the largest Indian governmental organizations and unfortunately nepotism and security leaks are rampant. Pretty sure that nuclear plants have strict security but it's usually overridden by a higher up boss. Paradoxically, it was worse for the Australian semi-government organization I worked for. I was a contractor and had access to almost everything. Not that larger US governmental organizations are impeccable. This is one of the reason governments can't be trusted with backdoors. They will invariably lose it without anyone noticing it.
- qaq 7y ago
  You have any evidence that US, Israel, China or Russia are in a better shape?
  - ignoramous 7y ago
    I don't, but those are traditional Defence partners India buys from and collaborates with. China, not so much, anymore.
roenxi 7y ago
That really is bizarre - that sort of assasination program is a direct threat to India's future defence capability. Why would the military not have been quickly involved in something like that?
- lallysingh 7y ago
  With whom? They don't have enough soft power to do much here. Their primary opponent is also nuclear armed.
- empath75 7y ago
  They surely were also engaged in similar programs in Pakistan.
  - izolate 7y ago
    Source? India isn’t a terrorist state
    - adrianN 7y ago
      Is Pakistan?
      - newyankee 7y ago
        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_terrorism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_t... I mean it would be naive to argue otherwise.It is one of the primary instruments of control used by a mostly military ruled state over most of its history.
    - erklik 7y ago
      India's supported and does support BLA, TTP and LTTE.
      - knowThySelfx 7y ago
        Is that why the LTTE killed the Indian Prime Minister?
throw23132123ww 7y ago
Not just the nuclear program. The space programme at ISRO has also been constantly been threatened by foreign powers, often acting with political powers in India. The case of Nambi Narayanan is by far the most infamous, where the Kerala State Govt. was actively conspiring (with what circumstantially, and in Nambi's opinion, appears to be US) against Indian state interests. Imagine the furore that would be caused if Texas were conspiring with the USSR to overthrow the republic, but of course, in India, the media remains mum for reasons unknown. This shouldn't be surprising - Mitrokhin notes how Indian ministers were falling over themselves to inform KGB/CIA for financial gain, and how Indira Gandhi herself was on KGB payroll. The media (nor the elite) is very different, as many recent scandals have shown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambi_Narayanan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambi_Narayanan https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/the-kgb-papers-it-seemed-like-the-entire-country-was-for-sale/cid/1023636 https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/the-kgb-papers-it-see...
- newyankee 7y ago
  It is well known the Indian communists have supported China over India in many instances. It is really weird considering China is not communist at least in economics any more.
  - gnode 7y ago
    > China is not communist at least in economics any more. This depends on your interpretation. It could be argued that China's state capitalism -- where the state is the dominant capitalist, and owns most of the companies, property, and natural resources, is a form of communism, perhaps the most effective realisation of communism seen so far. True private ownership is very limited, as property rights are subordinate to the will of the state. Land can not be owned as freehold, and is instead leased from the state.
- mavelikara 7y ago
  > The case of Nambi Narayanan is by far the most infamous, where the Kerala State Govt. was actively conspiring (with what circumstantially, and in Nambi's opinion, appears to be US) against Indian state interests. That is a strange claim. Why say State Govt, and subsequent analogy with Texas? Few government officials and a prominent media house seem to have trapped Nambi.
newyankee 7y ago
Father of Indian nuclear industry and arguably Indian Science Homi Bhabha was killed by the CIA long time back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homi_J._Bhabha#Assassination_theories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homi_J._Bhabha#Assassination_t... Although US is not a modern adversary this is an interesting piece of history. India had the world's most advanced thorium research once upon a time.
- saagarjha 7y ago
  He was claimed to have been killed by the CIA. It's entirely possible that they were not involved.

ignoramous 7y ago

Doesn't take away the fact that the government seems woefully ill-equipped technology esp to tackle cyber security threats? Defence might qualify too sensitive to adopt tech from US, Israeli, Chinese, or Russian tech? Is the local talent up to the task incl working on/for government projects?

ganeshkrishnan 7y ago
Ill equipped is the wrong word. Not equipped might be right. I did contract work for few of the largest Indian governmental organizations and unfortunately nepotism and security leaks are rampant. Pretty sure that nuclear plants have strict security but it's usually overridden by a higher up boss. Paradoxically, it was worse for the Australian semi-government organization I worked for. I was a contractor and had access to almost everything. Not that larger US governmental organizations are impeccable. This is one of the reason governments can't be trusted with backdoors. They will invariably lose it without anyone noticing it.
qaq 7y ago
You have any evidence that US, Israel, China or Russia are in a better shape?
- ignoramous 7y ago
  I don't, but those are traditional Defence partners India buys from and collaborates with. China, not so much, anymore.

roenxi 7y ago

That really is bizarre - that sort of assasination program is a direct threat to India's future defence capability. Why would the military not have been quickly involved in something like that?

lallysingh 7y ago
With whom? They don't have enough soft power to do much here. Their primary opponent is also nuclear armed.
empath75 7y ago
They surely were also engaged in similar programs in Pakistan.
- izolate 7y ago
  Source? India isn’t a terrorist state
  - adrianN 7y ago
    Is Pakistan?
    - newyankee 7y ago
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_terrorism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_and_state-sponsored_t... I mean it would be naive to argue otherwise.It is one of the primary instruments of control used by a mostly military ruled state over most of its history.
  - erklik 7y ago
    India's supported and does support BLA, TTP and LTTE.
    - knowThySelfx 7y ago
      Is that why the LTTE killed the Indian Prime Minister?

throw23132123ww 7y ago

Not just the nuclear program. The space programme at ISRO has also been constantly been threatened by foreign powers, often acting with political powers in India. The case of Nambi Narayanan is by far the most infamous, where the Kerala State Govt. was actively conspiring (with what circumstantially, and in Nambi's opinion, appears to be US) against Indian state interests. Imagine the furore that would be caused if Texas were conspiring with the USSR to overthrow the republic, but of course, in India, the media remains mum for reasons unknown. This shouldn't be surprising - Mitrokhin notes how Indian ministers were falling over themselves to inform KGB/CIA for financial gain, and how Indira Gandhi herself was on KGB payroll. The media (nor the elite) is very different, as many recent scandals have shown. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambi_Narayanan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nambi_Narayanan https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/the-kgb-papers-it-seemed-like-the-entire-country-was-for-sale/cid/1023636 https://www.telegraphindia.com/opinion/the-kgb-papers-it-see...

newyankee 7y ago
It is well known the Indian communists have supported China over India in many instances. It is really weird considering China is not communist at least in economics any more.
- gnode 7y ago
  > China is not communist at least in economics any more. This depends on your interpretation. It could be argued that China's state capitalism -- where the state is the dominant capitalist, and owns most of the companies, property, and natural resources, is a form of communism, perhaps the most effective realisation of communism seen so far. True private ownership is very limited, as property rights are subordinate to the will of the state. Land can not be owned as freehold, and is instead leased from the state.
mavelikara 7y ago
> The case of Nambi Narayanan is by far the most infamous, where the Kerala State Govt. was actively conspiring (with what circumstantially, and in Nambi's opinion, appears to be US) against Indian state interests. That is a strange claim. Why say State Govt, and subsequent analogy with Texas? Few government officials and a prominent media house seem to have trapped Nambi.

newyankee 7y ago

Father of Indian nuclear industry and arguably Indian Science Homi Bhabha was killed by the CIA long time back. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homi_J._Bhabha#Assassination_theories https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homi_J._Bhabha#Assassination_t... Although US is not a modern adversary this is an interesting piece of history. India had the world's most advanced thorium research once upon a time.

saagarjha 7y ago
He was claimed to have been killed by the CIA. It's entirely possible that they were not involved.