Excerpt from therearenosunglasses.wordpress.com, reported by From Kapil Verma & Priyanka Joshi on Jan 2010: Read Full Article

Cops-Underworld nexus easily breached security of BARC

Though the Indian officials have yet to come up with any official announcement regarding the mysterious fire that broke out at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), India top nuclear research facility on 29th December, 2009, The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Mumbai’s underworld mafia Don Chhota Rajan’s goons and some infamous, serving and dismissed Mumbai Cops’ nexus was behind the BARC blaze as a detailed examination was being conducted at the chemistry lab of the centre on the material seized by cops from three persons, belonging to Chhota Rajan gang in Navi Mumbai on the 8th of last month.
The Daily Mail’s investigations indicate that Mumbai police announced on December 8th,2009 that they have arrested three persons who were possessing some suspected chemical. In the beginning, police refused to disclose the identities of the arrested persons but later identified them as Premsingh Savitri, Srinivas Poriyar and Tulsidas Bhanushali and stated that they were booked under unlawful possession of prescribed material under sections of the Atomic Energy Act. Gulabrao Pol, commissioner of police Navi Mumbai, declined to divulge information about the exact time and place from where the three were arrested. However, Police officials said, the suspicious looking material in the form of a metallic ball was sent to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).
The Daily Mail’s findings indicate that the top police authorities handed over the further investigations of the case to Mumbai Police’s Special Branch, where the case was given to ACP Prakash Wani was responsible for the Crime Branch’s operations in Mumbai’s eastern suburbs that indicates that the trio with suspected chemical was arrested from eastern Mumbai, considered to be a stronghold of RAW’s Chhota Rajan mafia gang…. read more

Excerpt from prokerala.com reported on 30th Dec 2009: Read Full Article

As investigators struggled to find the cause of a fire in the country’s premier Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) that killed two scientists, the family members of one of the victims Wednesday have demanded a “thorough probe” into the accident.
“We are shocked at the attitude of the BARC officials though an incident of such a magnitude has taken place. We want a complete inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into it,” Munna Singh, uncle of Umesh Narayan Singh who died in the blaze, told IANS.
A loud explosion followed the fire that had broken out in a room on the third floor of the modular laboratory Tuesday noon when the two junior scientists were present on the premises. Both were killed.
As per preliminary investigations, the fire is suspected to have erupted following a chemical reaction that led to a blast in the laboratory housing analytical instruments.
Grieving over the loss of his nephew as the victim’s body was brought home here late Wednesday, Singh said that usually there would be five or six fellow research students and a senior person present on the premises.
“Why were these two boys alone in the laboratory at the time of the incident? We want answers to these questions as it has national security implications,” he demanded.

Excerpt from CG+, reported by Vibha Singh on December 26, 2009 : Read Full Article

A fierce debate about the national school education reform bill, heated arguments surrounding the government’s handling of swine flu and rural life and urban development… no, Parliament is not in session. These were the scenes at the youth parliament at Atomic Energy Central School-2, at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
The school had arranged for a mock parliament to inculcate democratic values in students. Principal, Atomic Energy Central School said, “Youth parliaments are a reconstruction of the Legislative Assembly. Every one wants to become a doctor or an engineer these days. Politics should also be treated as a career option and activities like this give students the necessary exposure. India 2020 is in your hands.

You have the ability to make dreams come true.” The headmistress of the school Lalitha Prabhakar, said it is very important for today’s youth to participate in the political process in a disciplined manner. “Competitions like these provide students an opportunity to know the avenues which are available to elected representatives for bringing public grievances before parliament and to discuss matters of urgent national and public importance,” she added.

As reported in Press Trust Of India ,  December 29, 2009

At least two research students were killed in a blaze that broke out in a building at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) complex in Chembur, north-east Mumbai, today afternoon, police said.
The fire broke out following a suspected chemical reaction followed by a blast in a laboratory on the third floor of the building. Two research students were trapped in the fire and died, a police official said.
However, there is no danger to the main reactor or any other sensitive facilities in the BARC complex, the official said.
The blaze was reported around 1.30 p.m. today afternoon and three fire tenders battled the blaze before it was controlled by the evening.
It is not known if there were more casualties. Further details are awaited.
BARC is expected to make an official statement, the official said. (IANS)

As reported in mathrubhumi.org on 20th Dec 2009.
Piecing together the investigations into terror suspects David Headley’s footsteps, investigators have found that he had conducted a proper reconnaissance of not only Bhaba Atomic Research Centre but also of some Bollywood studios in northeastern suburb of the city.

The 49-year-old Headley, who has been under arrest in the US since October three, had travelled to Chembur and Trombay many a times and filmed the exits and entries of the BARC besides the entry of employees, official sources said here today.

The terror suspect, who has been charged by the FBI with being part of the conspiracy in 26/11 Mumbai attacks, had also taken video shots of the nuclear installation by hiring a boat from Gateway of India. The rear side of the BARC, located on a hill top, can be seen from the Arabian Sea.

The investigators also comprising officials of National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the role of Headley and his accomplice Tahawwur Rana in India, suspect that Headley, during his boat ride, may have surveyed the mangroves located near the coastline.

The security around the nuclear installation has been tightened and efforts were on to ensure proper

cover in the mangroves located below the BARC, the sources said.

Security of NTPC’s cold storage plant in the area was also being reviewed as the security agencies were apprehensive that while filming BARC, Headley may have conducted recce of it as well. The terror suspect was trained by Lashker in clandestine filming of vital installations. The American-born terror suspect, who was allegedly close to top brass of Lashker-e-Taiba including Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and Hafeez Saeed, is also alleged to have carried of surveillance of some Bollywood studios.

LeT has always spoken against the film culture and their first target in Jammu and Kashmir were the cinemas.

The investigators were also trying to ascertain whether he had met any other Bollywood actor other than Rahul Bhat, son of noted filmmaker Mahesh Bhat. Rahul has been questioned by the NIA officials on two occasions earlier. However, his father — Mahesh — says that his son has done his duty in approaching the security agencies and helped them in tracing the trail of Headley.

Ravishankar Sundararaman from Anushaktinagar would go stargazing as a child. He got his first computer in 1999 and learnt programming in Visual Basic soon after, and got hooked on to it. He would lock himself in his room and secretly write graphics programmes, when his parents thought he was studying.

He went on to become a third ranker in the IIT and got a gold medal in the international physics Olympiad in 2002. Later he did MSc in physics from IIT Kanpur and is now pursuing his PhD in Cornell University. He has his own blog too where he writes about physics – including poetry inspired by physics! He speaks to CG Plus, about his love for physics and how the Olympiads helped him:

“I’ve been interested in physics for as far back as I can remember. The idea that phenomena in nature, no matter how complex, can be explained by a set of basic assumptions and a mathematical model is quite appealing to me. Meeting other people who were genuinely interested in mathematics and the sciences in all those Olympiad training camps was
very encouraging and facilitated healthy competition that really motivated me to learn much more in high school than I would have in isolation.

Excerpt from CG+, reported by Sujatha Subraman on 6th June 2009: Read Full Article : Young scientists on a roll

Homi Bhabha Centre for Scientific Education (HBCSE) lcoated at Mankhurd along the V N Purav Marg is engaged in training young scientists for various international events. Recently the centre trained a delegation of 6 members for the 50th International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) for the event to be held at Bremen, Germany from July 10-22.

Indian students selected for the International Mathematical Olympiad in Germany pose with their guides

Indian students selected for the International Mathematical Olympiad in Germany pose with their guides.
The members of Indian delegation for this event includes Subhadap Chowdhary from Midnapur(West Bengal), Akashnil Dutta from west Bengal, Akshay Mittal from New Delhi, Gourav Patil from Pune, Ananth Shankar from Tamilnadu and Sameer Wagh from Pune.

The valedictory function of the International Chemistry Olympiad Camp, 2009 was also held recently at HBCSE located along the V N Purav Marg at Mankhurd. M D Mastakar, administrative officer, informed, “International Chemistry Olympiad (IChO) is a unique event designed to discover, encourage and challenge exceptionally gifted students from all over the world.

The SRA Project near BPCL which will house around 12000 people has been a strong point in the Citizens Charter for the Election Candidates of Mumbai South Central Constituency. With its proximity to possible prime terrorist targets like Mahul refinery, Tata Electricity Company’s plant and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, these high-rise residential building are alleged to be a security threat…

Earlier Posts …

• Is There Security Threat To TATA Electric, BPCL And BARC?
• BPCL PLEA : “HC Should Decide The Matter Within Three Months”

The Centre on Wednesday informed the Bombay high court that the slum rehabilitation project coming up outside the Bharat Petroleum. The home ministry said it fears that the construction, which was creating nearly 12,000 residences, would attract people without a background check and this could prove risky to the security of the various sensitive installations in the vicinity.

The refinery, which was set up in 1955 and produces 12 million metric tonnes of highly inflammable petroleum products annually, is also believed to be on the intelligence agencies’ radar as a potential terror target.

As reported in TOI on 6 May 2009, by Swati Deshpande .. read full story  ”SRA bldgs near refinery a security threat: Centre”

Dr Sailen Kumar Ghosh, A retired food technologist of Baba Atomic Research Centre (BARC), has filed his nomination to contest this year’s Lok Sabha elections. Dr Ghosh retired from BARC two months ago and on on April 2 he filed his nomination as an independent from the South-Central Mumbai constituency which includes areas like Trombay, chembur, Wadala and Dharavi.

Dr. Ghosh will be contesting with other candidates from south central Mumbai constituency including Suresh Gambir (Shiv Sena) and Eknath Gaikwad (Congress) and Shweta Parulekar (MNS).

His Prime Objectives/ Issues: -

• To bring in more accountability of Indian scientific community
• To change or modify the Service Conduct Rule and to establish a scientists’ rights commission

“I will be fighting for the change or modification of Service conduct Rule if I get elected,”he told PTI. Having interest in bringing in changes in the society through a transparent governance and make the scientific community accountable to the nation, the 60-year-old, Ghosh said the Service Conduct Rule has to be changed (which was created by British) in order to bring in open debates and discussions on various issues and programmes for better implementation for the people.

Ward numbers of areas falling under MUMBAI SOUTH-CENTRAL   constituency

• 172 Anushaktinagar
• 173 Chembur
• 178 Dharavi
• 179 Sion Koliwada
• 180 Wadala
• 181 Mahim

Polling centres are likely to remain the same.

• Read more on this in Chembur-Ghatkopar-Plus “Voters be aware of these changes” by Sujatha Subraman