It is necessary to find the nuclear device lost 58 years ago in the Himalayas: so that the danger of radiation can be detected; It was placed on Nanda Devi by IB-CIA in 1965

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  • A nuclear device lost in the Himalayas 58 years ago can wreak havoc today. bhaskar interview

New Delhi/Nagpur9 minutes agoAuthor: Laxmi Prasad Pant

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Captain MS Kohli, the mountaineer leading this secret operation told about this danger.  - Dainik Bhaskar

Captain MS Kohli, the mountaineer leading this secret operation told about this danger.

The Himalayas are going through a new phase these days. These changes are three-way. Inside means geological, above means seasonal and possible third ‘blast from the past’. Means our own ‘buoy’ is a nuclear device which is sounding the siren of danger due to the movements of the Himalayas.

It is about the secret operation of 1965, which was done by America and India to keep an eye on China. The tool was a spy device whose generator was powered by nuclear energy. It even reached the peak of Nanda Devi, but got lost in a snow storm.

It is feared that now this device can become the cause of a big tragedy. This secret operation was led by mountaineer Captain MS Kohli who now lives in Nagpur. Kohli is telling why this device kept in 1965 is dangerous even today?

Question 1. Why was a nuclear device placed on Nanda Devi mountain in Uttarakhand? Was it a joint operation by IB and CIA?
answer:
Yes. BN Malik, the then head of IB, was in charge of this operation. Actually, on 16 October 1964, China conducted its first nuclear test. This worried America. India had lost the 1962 war to China.

The Indian intelligence agency IB and America’s CIA decided in March 1965 to install a nuclear energy-powered spy device. Nanda Devi because from there it was easy to keep an eye on the Tibetan plateaus where China was conducting tests.

Question 2. How did the nuclear device go missing?
answer: There was only one way to reach Nanda Devi, which passed through Rishi Ganga. The team reached Camp-3 in October 1965 with the nuclear device. Before reaching the last camp, a severe snow storm broke out. The team was in danger.

I postponed the mission with the opinion of IB Chief Malik. We returned after hiding the device in the bowels of the rock. When I went again the next year, the device was not found. We assumed that the device got stuck somewhere in the glacier due to the storm.

Question 3. When I speak to you in 2023, is the dangerous device still stuck in Nanda Devi’s umbilical cord?
answer: I went to Nanda Devi with the team several times since 1966 to find the device, but could not find it. Only the government can tell today’s situation. I was told that in February 2021 there was a severe flood in Raini village of Chamoli due to the eruption of a glacier.

The entire village and the hydro power project built on Rishiganga were also washed away. More than 200 people lost their lives. My assessment is that all this happened due to the explosion of the generator of the nuclear device. If so, then there is no longer a nuclear device there.

Question 4. You are saying that the device is no longer there, but the government is silent. Bhaskar has sought information under RTI, but the answer has not come, is the danger over?
answer: Modern technology has arrived. It is possible to see the things inside the ground without digging. The government should run the search operation again and clear whether the device is there or not.

Weather is changing, glaciers are melting and this area comes under earthquake zone-5, which is very sensitive. I was told that the nuclear device contained plutonium-238, which has an age of around 90 years. That’s why it cannot be said that the danger has been averted.

Question 5. How many campaigns were run to find the device, did America help?
answer:
America sent aircraft and nuclear experts. I myself kept searching for a year. Also check the water. Tried several times, but device not found. There was also concern that the device contained radioactive material.

Rishiganga originates just below Nanda Devi, so there was a big danger of nuclear pollution in Ganga. The first expedition was launched in 1966 to find But, we could not succeed. The government should find it now.

Question 6. What action was taken by the government on the loss of nuclear device?
answer:
Prime Minister Morarji Desai called me. Kept together for 2 days. Took full information from me. I told the incident from placing the device to losing it. I told that there is a danger of nuclear pollution in the Himalayas and the Ganges if there is a radioactive leak. He also made me meet nuclear scientists. It was decided that the government would launch a massive campaign to find it.

Question 7. What update do you have in 2023 regarding search?
answer:
I have no idea whether the government has continued or called off the search operation for the device. But, I think the position should be clear. So that the doubt about the danger that exists in the Himalayas in the form of a device, will end.

Question 8. Did all the coolies who went to Nanda Devi with the nuclear device later die of cancer?
answer:
This is not in my knowledge. Second, none of our team members came in contact with radiation. The CIA gave us a badge to carry in our pockets. It was said that if anyone comes in contact with radiation, this badge will turn red.

During the entire campaign, none of our comrades’ badges got red. That is, none of us came in contact with radiation. I think the reason for the death of the porters must have been some other reason.

Question 9. When the nuclear device was lost in 1965, did we install any other device to keep an eye on China?
answer:
Yes, around 1966, India and America installed a second nuclear device at Nandakot, which also remained active. However, it was removed after a few years, because the US had left many powerful satellites, which were enough to keep an eye on China.

Question 10. You were not a spy, how was the team leader selected?
answer:
The Nanda Devi mission could be accomplished only by mountaineers, I didn’t know it was an espionage mission. The peak of Nanda Devi is more difficult than Everest. I was the leader of the Indian team that reached Everest for the first time in 1965. I didn’t know I was carrying a nuclear device. The operation was supervised by Bholanath Malik, the first director of the IB, and Akar Gozalman, senior advisor to the CIA.