Nagpur on radioactive alert after threat letter targets RSS offices, Metro stations

NAGPUR: The city went on high alert after an anonymous letter surfaced claiming dispersal of radioactive caesium-137 powder in RSS offices and key public locations. The sender also claimed responsibility for dumping gelatin sticks and detonators at a professor's house in central Nagpur earlier this month.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has deployed its specialised chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) unit to conduct extensive scans of RSS offices in Mahal, Mahametro stations, bus stands and surrounding areas. Teams are using portable radiation detectors and collecting swipe samples from chairs, seats and high-contact surfaces. State and central intelligence agencies along with State Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), have joined the probe. Anti-sabotage checks are being carried out at sensitive locations.

Senior police officials confirmed the letter, posted through the General Post Office (GPO) and addressed directly to the police commissioner, contains chilling details of radioactive contamination. A case was registered under sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Forensic examination of the letter is in progress to trace the sender through handwriting, paper and postal analysis.

Senior officials appealed to people to remain calm, avoid spreading rumours and report suspicious activity immediately. "No radiation has been detected so far," they assured, while confirming the probe is progressing on multiple fronts, including possible links to earlier incidents.

A senior official told TOI the anonymous sender, claiming to represent an exploited and backward class, alleged caesium-137 powder had been sprinkled on chairs at RSS headquarters and offices in Mahal, Hedgewar memorial at Reshimbagh, Metro trains on Orange and Aqua lines near RSS and BJP offices, and city buses.

It further advised citizens to demand Prussian blue pills as an antidote and taunted authorities to contact the Tarapur nuclear plant for radiation checks.

Caesium-137, a highly radioactive isotope produced as a fission product in nuclear reactors, emits beta and gamma radiation and has a half-life of approximately 30 years. If dispersed as fine powder, it can easily contaminate surfaces, be inhaled or ingested, and mimic potassium in the human body, spreading rapidly to muscles and organs.

Even small quantities in a densely populated and historically significant area like Mahal — the bustling heart of Nagpur housing RSS offices — could pose public health hazards.
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