Nuclear device missing, Ganga-Himalaya threatened

Captain MS Kohli, who led the secret operation in 1965, lives in Nagpur.

The Himalayas are going through a new phase these days. These changes are three-way. Inner means geological, upper means seasonal and the third ‘blast from the past’. Means our own ‘buoy’, a nuclear device which has been sounding the siren of danger for years due to the internal and seasonal movements of the Himalayas.

It is a matter of a secret operation in 1965, which America and India together did 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 snowstorm. It is feared that now this nuclear device can become the cause of a major tragedy.

The secret operation was to take this nuclear device to Nanda Devi, which was led by mountaineer Captain MS Kohli, who now lives in Nagpur and is telling how and how dangerous this nuclear device kept in 1965 is in 2023?

Question: Why was a nuclear device placed on Nanda Devi mountain in Uttarakhand? Was it a joint operation by IB and CIA?

answer : Yes, it was a joint operation. BN Malik, the then head of IB, was in charge of this operation. In fact, 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 on Nanda Devi. Nanda Devi because from there it was easy to keep an eye on the Tibetan plateaus where China was conducting tests. We wanted the Chinese to keep an eye on nuclear power.

Question: How did the nuclear device disappear?

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: When I am talking to you in 2023, is the dangerous nuclear device still stuck in Nanda Devi’s umbilical cord?

answer : I went to Nanda Devi several times with my team since 1966 to find the device, but could not find it. Only the Government of India can tell what is the situation today. I was told that in February 2021 there was a severe flood due to the bursting of a glacier in Raini village of Chamoli, Uttarakhand. The entire village and the hydro power project built in Rishi Ganga 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 this has happened then there is no longer a nuclear device there.

The nuclear device was placed on Nanda Devi mountain because it was easy to keep an eye on the Tibetan plateaus where China was conducting tests.

Question: You are saying that the device is no longer there, but the government is silent. Bhaskar has sought information from RTI, but the answer has not come, is the danger over now?

answer : Modern technologies have arrived. It is possible to see things deep underground without digging. That’s why the government should run the search operation again and make it clear whether there is a nuclear device there or not. Because the weather is changing, the glaciers in the Himalayas are melting, 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: How many operations were conducted to find the device, did America help us?

answer : America sent aircraft and nuclear experts. I myself kept searching for 1 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. What action did the Indian government take on missing the nuclear device?A. 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: What update do you have in 2023 regarding the discovery of nuclear devices?

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.

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 returned after hiding the device in the rock. When I went again the next year, the device was not found.

Question: Did all the coolies who went to Nanda Devi with the nuclear device die of cancer later?

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: When the nuclear device was lost in 1965, did we install another device on a mountain to keep an eye on China?

answer : Yes, around 1966, India and America installed a second nuclear device at Nandakot, which also remained active. Although it was removed after a few years, because America had left many powerful satellites. These were enough to keep an eye on China.

Question: 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. Only climbers could reach here. 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.