New Delhi: India has stopped the police from giving information to the media after Pakistan expressed its concern at the global level over the theft and illegal sale of radioactive materials.

According to Kashmir Media Service, incidents of theft, export, and sale of radioactive material are common in India. Pakistan has repeatedly expressed serious concern over the reports of export of radioactive nuclear materials in India and has asked the Indian government for a complete and detailed explanation on the reports of export of radioactive materials such as californium.

The Ministry of Home Affairs of India in a directive sent to the state governments said there are several ways to confirm radioactivity in the recovered materials. In an official letter sent to police chiefs and police commissioners, the ministry has expressed concern over such cases in which the state police release statements to the press even before laboratory confirmation of radioactive materials.

It did not refer to any specific incident but said that some elements used the news to discredit the country internationally about India’s safeguards and regulations for safeguarding nuclear and radioactive materials. Internal directives have asked all police officers to send the discovery of a suspected radioactivity to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board for scientific analysis before making any statement to the press, and when it is confirmed, only then issue a statement.

In August this year, in the Indian state of Bihar, the police recovered 50 grams of radioactive material californium from the possession of three persons in Gopalganj district. It is a rare radioactive material and its value was estimated at 850 crore rupees. The Superintendent of Police of Gopalganj told a news conference that these smugglers had been trying to sell the substance for several months and a laboratory test report of the substance was also recovered from them.

It should be noted that on the recovery of suspected nuclear materials in India, police officials used to inform the media about it by holding a press conference and in some recent cases such persons were also brought before the media whose possession of suspected radioactive material was recovered and media was also allowed to take photographs of the material.