DUTA Demands VC’s Arrest over Radioactivity Probe

Following the radiation exposure incident in Mayapuri in April this year, DUTA alleged Vice

Chancellor Deepak Pental of dodging and undermining an enquiry into the leak.

This comes after Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) withdrew permission given to

Delhi University to use any radioactive source in its labs as it failed to submit a final reply.

The Association accused Pental of trying to subvert an inquiry into the disposal of radioactive

material and demanded that he be arrested to make way for an “unbiased” probe. Furthermore, it

was asked that the President of India comes as Visitor and that the HRD Ministry intervenes to

prevent Pental from “inflicting further harm to the University”.

The enquiry came after traces of Cobalt-60 source to the Gamma Irradiator which DU had

auctioned to a scrap dealer in Mayapuri in February leading to death of one person and injury to

10. Negligence in radioactive waste disposal was largely the reason for radiation leak.

Although, DU has appealed to AERB to remove the suspension order and allow the lab to use

the radioactive sources for their research experiments, the committee is unlikely to heed their

request. However, the science faculty cited that the ban will directly affect around 350 post-

graduate students, especially those who need to conduct experiments using radioactive sources.

“The DUTA demands that Prof Deepak Pental should be immediately arrested in order to carry

out an unbiased inquiry… The Vice-Chancellor and other authorities have consistently tried to

derail any worthwhile public inquiry into this incredible sale and has tried to subvert its own

inquiry,” it said in a statement.

Malvika Tripathi

[email protected]