{"id":4171,"date":"2013-12-23T21:32:38","date_gmt":"2013-12-23T16:02:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=4171"},"modified":"2013-12-23T21:32:38","modified_gmt":"2013-12-23T16:02:38","slug":"who-killed-indias-cryogenic-rocket-%e0%a4%ad%e0%a4%be%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%a4-%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%87-%e0%a4%95%e0%a5%8d%e0%a4%b0%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%93%e0%a4%9c%e0%a5%87%e0%a4%a8%e0%a4%bf%e0%a4%95-%e0%a4%b0","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=4171","title":{"rendered":"Who Killed India&#8217;s Cryogenic Rocket : \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u094d\u0930\u093f\u0913\u091c\u0947\u0928\u093f\u0915 \u0930\u094b\u0915\u0947\u091f \u0915\u094b \u0915\u093f\u0938\u0928\u0947 \u0959\u0924\u094d\u092e \u0915\u093f\u092f\u093e ?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\u0939\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u0907\u0938 \u0926\u0947\u0936\u0926\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0939 \u0915\u0940 \u00a0\u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0915\u094b \u0938\u093f\u0926\u094d\u0927 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u094b\u0908 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092e\u093e\u0923 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u0948 . \u092a\u0930\u0928\u094d\u0924\u0941 \u0926\u0947\u0936\u0926\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0939 \u0915\u0940 \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u093f\u092f\u093e\u0902 \u0907\u0938\u0932\u093f\u090f \u092d\u0940 \u0938\u0941\u0928\u093e\u092f\u0940\u00a0\u00a0\u091c\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u00a0\u091a\u093e\u0939\u093f\u090f \u0915\u094d\u092f\u094b\u0902\u0915\u093f \u0915\u093f\u0938\u0940 \u0915\u094b \u092b\u093f\u0930 \u0910\u0938\u0947 \u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0926\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0939\u093f\u092f\u094b\u0902 \u0938\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0932\u093e \u092a\u0921 \u0938\u0915\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 . \u092f\u0926\u093f \u090f\u091c \u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0938\u091a \u0939\u0940 \u0924\u094b \u0905\u0935\u0936\u094d\u092f \u0939\u0940 \u0915\u094b\u0908 \u0926\u0947\u0936\u0926\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0939\u0940 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u0915\u0947 \u0905\u0928\u094d\u0924\u0930\u093f\u0915\u094d\u0937 \u0915\u093e\u0930\u094d\u092f\u0915\u094d\u0930\u092e \u0915\u094b \u0938\u092e\u093e\u092a\u094d\u0924 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u092d\u093e\u0917\u0940\u0926\u093e\u0930 \u0939\u0948 . \u0936\u0915 \u0924\u094b \u0938\u093f\u0930\u094d\u092b \u0905\u092e\u0930\u0940\u0915\u093e \u092a\u0930 \u0939\u0940 \u0917\u0939\u0930\u093e\u0924\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0924\u0940\u0924 \u0939\u094b\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948 \u091c\u093f\u0938\u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0939\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0938\u0930\u0915\u093e\u0930 \u0915\u0947 \u0909\u091a\u094d\u091a\u0938\u094d\u0925 \u0905\u0927\u093f\u0915\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u092d\u0940 \u0936\u093e\u092e\u093f\u0932 \u0939\u0948\u0902 . \u092f\u0947\u0939\u0940 \u0939\u093e\u0932 \u0939\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0906\u0923\u0935\u093f\u0915 \u092a\u0928\u0921\u0941\u092c\u094d\u092c\u0940 \u0915\u0947 \u0921\u0942\u092c\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u093e \u0939\u0948 . \u0939\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u0906\u0923\u0935\u093f\u0915 \u0935\u0948\u091c\u094d\u091e\u093e\u0928\u093f\u0915\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u0940 \u0930\u0939\u0938\u094d\u092f\u092e\u092f \u092e\u0943\u0924\u094d\u092f\u0941 \u0939\u094b \u0930\u0939\u0940 \u0939\u0940 .<\/p>\n<p>\u0926\u0947\u0936 \u0915\u093f\u0938\u0940 \u092c\u095c\u0947 \u091c\u093e\u0938\u0942\u0938\u0940\u00a0 \u0937\u0921\u094d\u092f\u0902\u0924\u094d\u0930 \u092e\u0948\u0902 \u092b\u0901\u0938\u00a0 \u0917\u092f\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u0924\u0940\u0924 \u0939\u094b\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948, \u092a\u0930 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0947 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092e\u093e\u0923 \u0939\u092e\u00a0\u0938\u093e\u0927\u093e\u0930\u0923 \u00a0\u0928\u093e\u0917\u0930\u093f\u0915\u094b\u0902 \u0915\u094b \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u092e\u093f\u0932 \u0938\u0915\u0924\u0947.<\/p>\n<p>\u092f\u0939 \u0932\u0947\u0916 \u090f\u0915 \u0907 \u092e\u0947\u0932 \u0938\u0947 \u0932\u093f\u092f\u093e \u0939\u0948 \u0907\u0938 \u0932\u093f\u090f \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0940 \u0915\u094b\u0908 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u093e\u092e\u093e\u0923\u093f\u0915\u0924\u093e \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u0948 .<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17065\" style=\"font-size: large;\">Launch of GSLV Rockets have failed time again so far. Hope that the next one, scheduled shortly is successful , at last .\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16566\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16567\"><b>\u00a0To what extent the story below is true ? Only Insiders can say.\u00a0<\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16577\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16578\"><i><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>With Best Wishes, <\/strong><\/span><\/i><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16588\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><strong><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\">A.M. JOSHI<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16612\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16611\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\" id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16610\">\n<div dir=\"ltr\" id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16609\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16608\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16607\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16606\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16605\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16603\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16602\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16600\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16599\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16597\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16596\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16594\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16593\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16591\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16590\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16589\">==============================================================================================<\/p>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16619\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16618\">\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16617\">\n<div><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16616\">\n<h2 id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16615\" align=\"center\"><a id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16614\" href=\"http:\/\/groups.yahoo.com\/group\/hinducivilization\/message\/70712%3b_ylc=X3oDMTJzaGRrOWhnBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE1BGdycElkAzE3Mzk3ODUyBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTAxMzU1NgRtc2dJZAM3MDcxMgRzZWMDZG1zZwRzbGsDdm1zZwRzdGltZQMxMzg1OTg0OTI5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\" name=\"1431e6bc9c5bc496_1431e534fff8f9b4_9\">Who killed the ISRO&#8217;s cryogenic engine? &#8212; Rajeev Srinivasan<\/a><\/h2>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h4>November 18, 2013 11:03 IST<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div><b> *Rajeev Srinivasan on the disastrous after-effects of a made-up spying incident.*<\/b><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In the middle of the euphoria about the launch of Mangalyaan, India\u2019s Mars<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> probe, it may seem churlish to bring up the question of whether the space<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> programme could have been more efficient and produced results earlier.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Without getting into questions of organisational culture at the Indian<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Space Research Organisation or the quality of the work done by the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> scientists and engineers there, the answer is an unqualified yes at least<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> in one specific area: the cryogenic engine, and thus the GSLV<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (GeoSynchronous Launch Vehice).<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The GSLV has been delayed by about 20 years, and it still is in the testing<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> stage, scheduled for April 2014. This should be the workhorse for India\u2019s<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> space programmes going forward, as it can provide the heavy lifting (a<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> payload of as much as 4,000 kilogrammes) much like the Soviet Proton and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> the American Saturn rockets were tried and tested machines over large<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> numbers of launches.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In addition, as the name implies, the GSLV could prove commercially viable<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> &#8212; so far as I can tell, many countries are looking to launch communication<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> and other rockets into geosynchronous orbits (because they will appear to<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> be stationary as far as observers on the ground are concerned), and this is<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> what the GSLV has been designed to do.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Furthermore, the cryogenic technology in the GSLV makes it unsuitable for<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> military applications, as the ultra-low-temperatu re device cannot be<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> readied and launched in a short while as a military rocket would need to be.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Therefore, the GSLV, although it potentially has the range of an ICBM<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (intercontinental ballistic missile) cannot easily be converted to military<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> use. There is no reason anybody should be concerned about the defence<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> aspects of the GSLV.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> Thus, the fact that the cryogenic engine and the GSLV were delayed by around 20 years is quite possibly a testament to the industrial espionage-and- sabotage capabilities of a malign foreign power (even if you leave out the military espionage part).<br \/>\nAdd to this, as Rakesh Krishnan Simha says in Cryogenic countdown: How the GSLV became India\u2019s Mission \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\">Impossible<\/span><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"font-size: large;\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\">&lt;<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/indrus.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">in\/blogs\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">2013\/11\/09\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">cryogenic_<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">countdown_<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">how_the_gslv_<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">became_indias_<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">missile_impossib<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">le_30711.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/indrus.in\/blogs\/2013\/11\/09\/cryogenic_countdown_how_the_gslv_became_indias_missile_impossible_30711.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">html<\/a><span style=\"color: #333333;\">&gt;<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (*external link*),<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><b><span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u00a0the mysterious deaths of several scientists and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> engineers associated with the space and nuclear submarine programmes, and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> something sinister seems to be at work.\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\">It appears, bluntly, that a foreign spy agency is crippling India\u2019s space<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> programme.<\/span><\/b><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16626\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Now who could this be? The usual suspects would be the Pakistanis, the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Chinese, the Russians, the Israelis and the Americans.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The Russians could be left out of the equation because the cryogenic<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> technology is theirs, and so they would have no particular need to well,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> spy on themselves.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The Israelis, one imagines, would have little incentive to infiltrate into<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> India\u2019s programmes, as it is no threat to them (unlike, say, Iran\u2019s). That<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> leaves the Pakistanis, the Chinese and the Americans as candidates.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Consider what happened in ISRO\u2019s Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Trivandrum.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The VSSC and its arm, the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, are responsible<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> for India\u2019s rockets. These are built here, tested at Mahendragiri in nearby<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, launched from Sriharikota on the Andhra<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> coast, and tracked from the control centre in Hassan (Karnataka) &#8212; all<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> controlled by ISRO headquarters in Bangalore.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> (*Parenthetically, it just occurred to me that this is a magnificent<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> example of interstate co-operation, with the entire South involved*.)<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16624\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In 1994, a major scandal erupted at the VSSC. Two senior scientists, Nambi<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Narayanan and D Sasikumaran &#8212; both working on the cryogenic technology &#8212;<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> were accused of being honey-trapped by two Maldivian women named Mariam<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Rasheeda and Fauzia Hassan, and of revealing top-secret information to them.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> This was in the middle of a curious situation regarding cryogenic<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> technology.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16622\"><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> There were only two countries that had tested cryogenic designs: the Soviet<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Union and the United States. Given the parlous state of Indo-US relations,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> and the good state of Indo-Soviet relations, it was fairly obvious that<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> India would have a much better chance of collaborating with the Soviets.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Indeed, the Soviets signed a pact in 1992 to transfer technology to ISRO.<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16627\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"> The Americans objected, and eventually the Soviets capitulated, and changed the deal to one where they would simply supply full engines, and not the technology<\/span><span style=\"color: #333333;\">. An indigenous effort to build the cryogenic engines got under<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> way, and it still has not reached fruition: some time shortly the devices<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> will be ready for flight testing.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Thus, there has been a long delay in the GSLV programme: indeed, this may<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> have closed the window of opportunity for India in the launch business, as<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> we now have new private American players like SpaceX and Orbital refueling<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> the space station. India\u2019s low costs alone may not be enough.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> When the alleged scandal came to light in 1994 &#8212; let us note that nothing<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> was ever proven, and the courts, years later, exonerated the scientists &#8212;<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> there was uproar in Kerala.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\">\u201cOff with their heads\u201d was the general attitude of the public, which is<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> very protective of its advanced space programme. The two men were<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> disgraced, and their careers were ruined. They were treated as traitors.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> I was curious at the time about these Mata Hari-type women. I had seen a<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> number of Maldivians in Trivandrum, because large number of them came for<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> medical treatments as it is the closest airport in India from Male, their<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> capital.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> So many of them still come to Trivandrum that the Maldivian television<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> channel (TVM) is shown on local cable, and the signboards of many<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> establishments in the Medical College Hospital area are written in the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> peculiar Maldivian script, which looks like Arabic composed of short<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> strokes like apostrophes.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> To be honest, these Maldivians had not struck me as being a particularly<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> handsome people. So I was surprised to hear about a Maldivian beauty and<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> spy &#8212; or so I assumed &#8212; who had seduced and wormed information out of<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> these ISRO men.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Sitting in California, exposed to sex scandals, I could well believe that a<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> beautiful and clever spy had seduced a na\u00efve scientist or two.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Imagine my surprise when I saw a photo of Rasheeda: She was a very plain,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> ordinary, 45-year-old woman who would not win any beauty contests. That is<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> when I started wondering if the honey-trap story was quite all that is was<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> made out to be.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Some time later, I met Sasikumaran, who, it turned out, was known to my<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> family. He was a dejected man, and spoke bitterly about being betrayed,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> especially by the ISRO that didn\u2019t stand by him. But that would be the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> reaction even if he were guilty; of course, he would defend and justify<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> himself.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Much later, other VSSC engineers told me that Rasheeda had indeed made a<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> number of calls to Sasikumaran, but that was simply because she was trying<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> to rent an apartment he owned. (They also mentioned something about<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Congress rivalries at the time: K Karunakaran vs A K Antony, and how there<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> was some peripheral relationship to P V Narasimha Rao as well. See Prem<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Panicker\u2019s report on\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/rediff.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">rediff.com<\/a><span style=\"color: #333333;\">&lt;<\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/1998\/may\/08isro.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.rediff.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/1998\/may\/08isro.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">com\/news\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/1998\/may\/08isro.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">1998\/may\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/1998\/may\/08isro.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">08isro.htm<\/a><span style=\"color: #333333;\">&gt;<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> here.)<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The phone calls were the clinching piece of evidence the police had, I<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> learned later, but that sounds pretty flimsy to me.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> But Sasikumaran and Nambi Narayanan were arrested, interrogated, and, they<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> say, tortured in custody. In hindsight, it reminds me of the witch-hunt<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> against Colonel Dreyfus in the French army, where an innocent man was<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> humiliated and drummed out of the army just because he was Jewish.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Emile Zola, at the time, wrote a stirring treatise, *J\u2019accuse*, indicting<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> the French establishment. There was, alas, no Zola in the Indian<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> establishment to stand for these apparently innocent men.<\/span><\/div>\n<div><span style=\"color: #333333;\"> If you assume that indeed the duo was framed, the question remains, why?<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Let us look at the motive and capability. Who benefited? Clearly the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Pakistanis, the Chinese, and the Americans all benefited, as India as<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> either a military or commercial competitor was hobbled. So they all had the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> motive.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> But it was really only the Americans who had the capability. The ISI, in<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> those days, had not yet built up a formidable network in Kerala; the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Chinese, although they had their acolytes in the state and in Chennai, were<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> at that time self-absorbed in getting rich (they started their overseas<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> adventurousness and empire-building later).<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The Americans, though, had the capability. As seen in Barack &#8216;Yes, we scan&#8217;<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Obama\u2019s latest antics over collecting massive amounts of information about<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> phone calls by his citizens and those of friendly heads of state (such as<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Germany and Brazil), the NSA and CIA have no compunctions about doing<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> espionage on a large scale.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Let us also recall the Iranian nuclear scientists who have been killed<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> allegedly as part of the US\/Israeli effort to cap\/rollback their nuclear<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> programme, as well as the Stuxnet virus also believed to have been created<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> by the same dynamic duo.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> The CIA\u2019s ability to bring about \u201cpeaceful transitions\u201d was seen in the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> overthrows of Salvador Allende in Chile and Mossadegh in Iran, and indeed,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> in the toppling of EMS Namboodiripad\u2019s communist government in Kerala in<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> 1959.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In a signature campaign, the CIA aligned itself with the most reactionary<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> elements in Kerala to manufacture the so-called \u201cliberation movement\u201d (hmm\u2026<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> \u2018Liberation Theology\u2019, anyone?) and created such a major law and order<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> problem that Jawaharlal Nehru (doubtless, more in sorrow than in anger) had<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> to use Article 356 to invoke President\u2019s Rule and eject the hapless EMS.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Presumably these relationships that the CIA had cultivated were still in<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> place in 1994, and swung into action, and with some dubious police officers<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> acting as the enforcers, they were able to pull off the coup &#8212; and the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> rest is history.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> India\u2019s space programme was set back by almost 20 years. The cost would<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> also have escalated by a factor of 4 or 5. And now *The Economist* wonders<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> if a poor country like India should have its space scientists building<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> toilets instead!<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Thus, yet again, Indians collaborated with a malign foreign power and hurt<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> the national interest. This will be India\u2019s epitaph. Treason.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> *Rajyadroham. *<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Rajeev Srinivasan<\/span><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_16659\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/www.rediff.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">com\/news\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">column\/who-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">killed-the-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">isros-cryogenic-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">engine\/20131118.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/www.rediff.com\/news\/column\/who-killed-the-isros-cryogenic-engine\/20131118.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">htm<\/a><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> 02 December, 2013<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\">&lt; <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/bharatkalyan<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">97.blogspot.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">in\/2013\/12\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">who-killed-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">isros-cryogenic-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/who-killed-isros-cryogenic-engine.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">engine.html<\/a><span style=\"color: #333333;\">&gt;RB<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Sreekumar\u2019s acquittal order &#8211; Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Above: RB Sreekumar\u2019s acquittal order &#8211; Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Former Gujarat DGP RB Sreekumar, known for his association with activist<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Teesta Setalvad for raising issues related to riots and encounters against<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Gujarat Government had allegedly master-mind to brand a patriotic scientist<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Dr. Nambi Narayanan of ISRO as a traitor and fabricated a espionage case<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> against him. Despite his heinous crime affecting nation\u2019s interest, all the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> charges against him, were dropped by UPA Government.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> During 1994, RB Sreekumar was Dy. Director, Intelligence Bureau (IB), in<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Trivandrum and was entrusted the investigation in the ISRO espionage case.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Sreekumar not only brand Dr. Narayanan as traitor but also ill-treated him<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> including physical torture during his 50 days custody.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Narayanan, an Indian scientist of repute started his career way back in<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> 1966 with ISRO. He was sent him to Princeton University for further<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> studies. Narayanan, who completed his Ph.D, got attractive offers that<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> include one from NASA, but he preferred to work for his country and adhered<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> with ISRO.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> It was Narayanan who introduced the Liquid Fuel Rocket Technology in India<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> in early 1970, when former President of India A.P.J Abdul Kalam was<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> scientist and his team was working on Solid Motors. The above facts suggest<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> that Narayanan was one of the top scientists of India and never enticed by<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> lucrative offers. The fallout of the ISRO spy case led to a brilliant<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Rocket scientist losing his entire career and in the process, the nation<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> suffered immensely.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In December 1994, the case was handed over to CBI. On 01.05.1995, CBI<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> submitted the closure report in a special court in Kochi stating that there<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> was no case of espionage and all the accused persons, including Dr.<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Narayanan were released. It was clear that ISRO spy case was a fabricated<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> case done at the behest of individuals and enteritis inimical to the<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> success of ISRO and India. CBI in its closure report also recommended<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> departmental action against RB Sreekumar. Dr. Narayanan was granted an<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> interim compensation of Rs. 10 lacs by the NHRC.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Based on CBI recommendation, in November 1999 the Union Ministry of Home<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Affairs (MHA), under NDA rule, initiated disciplinary proceedings against<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Sreekumar and was served a charge sheet having 9 articles of charge that<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> include physically taking over the possession of the accused persons from<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> the lawful custody of Kerala Police, torturing, ill-treating accused<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> persons, not preparing written statement of interrogation and conducting<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> independent investigation, disassociating the Kerala Police etc. Sreekumar<\/span> <span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17053\" style=\"color: #333333;\"> deliberately misrepresented the facts causing irreparable loss to a highly<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> respected scientists. Sreekumar was directed to submit his reply within ten<\/span> <span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17052\" style=\"color: #333333;\"> days.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> Things changed dramatically in second half of 2004, when the UPA Govt. came<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> to power. On 13th December, 2004, MHA issued an order dropping 7 out of 9<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> charges without even conducting any enquiry against Sreekumar. For<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> remaining 2 charges, an oral enquiry was ordered on 13th December, 2004<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> itself.<\/span><br \/>\n<span style=\"color: #333333;\"> In just about one months time i.e. on 24th January, 2005, the entire<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> process of appointing the enquiry officer, examining the witnesses,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> conducting and completing the enquiry, submitting the enquiry report,<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> consideration of enquiry report on various levels and issuing the final<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> order, dropping remaining two charges against Sreekumar was completed. The<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> swiftness of this enquiry has no parallel in the history of Union Ministry<\/span> <span style=\"color: #333333;\"> of Home Affairs (MHA).<\/span><br \/>\n<b id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17049\"><span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17051\" style=\"color: #333333;\"> As a part of quid-pro-quo, Sreekumar after January, 2005, launched a<\/span> <span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17050\" style=\"color: #333333;\"> tirade, full of lies, along with Teesta Setalvad against the Gujarat Govt.<\/span> <span id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17048\" style=\"color: #333333;\"> for political reasons.<\/span><\/b> <a href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">http:\/\/dharmanext.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">blogspot.<\/a><a id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17047\" href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">in\/2013\/12\/<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">rb-sreekumars-<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">acquittal-<\/a><a id=\"yui_3_13_0_ym1_1_1387810677530_17046\" href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">order-ministry.<\/a><a href=\"http:\/\/dharmanext.blogspot.in\/2013\/12\/rb-sreekumars-acquittal-order-ministry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">html<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u0939\u092e\u093e\u0930\u0947 \u092a\u093e\u0938 \u0907\u0938 \u0926\u0947\u0936\u0926\u094d\u0930\u094b\u0939 \u0915\u0940 \u00a0\u0915\u0939\u093e\u0928\u0940 \u0915\u094b \u0938\u093f\u0926\u094d\u0927 \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u0915\u0947 \u0915\u094b\u0908 \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092e\u093e\u0923 \u0928\u0939\u0940\u0902 \u0939\u0948 &#8230;. <a class=\"meta-more\" href=\"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/?p=4171\">more <span class=\"meta-nav\">&raquo;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4172,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4171","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-2","category-world"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4173,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4171\/revisions\/4173"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4172"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4171"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/patriotsforumindia.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}