Pakistan, May 15 -- India projects itself as a responsible nuclear power, one with credible command-and-control systems, a strong safety culture, and mature institutional oversight. This narrative is central to India's claims for strategic legitimacy and global leadership. Yet publicly documented incidents over the past two decades reveal a more troubling reality: recurring failures in radioactive material control, uneven regulatory enforcement, and procedural lapses that point to systemic weaknesses rather than isolated accidents. These shortcomings demand sober scrutiny rather than rhetorical reassurance.

One of the most disturbing reminders came in 2010, when a decommissioned Cobalt-60 irradiator from Delhi University was auctioned as...