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Anti-nuke exhibition leaves behind a cloud

A Japanese exhibition depicting the dangers of nuclearisation of the world put up at the National Science Centre in New Delhi, has been marred by controversy, as seven panels have been suddenly removed for displaying an ''American bias.''

The exhibition, titled 'Hiroshima and Nagasaki: never again' and brought by Takashi Hiraoka, mayor of Hiroshima, displayed 52 panels out of which seven were 'censored' and asked to be removed by the Atomic Energy Commission after these were found objectionable.

The seven panels included one on Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, one which clubbed India along with Israel and Pakistan as non-signatory states possessing nuclear capabilities. A third one, captioned 'World nuclear tests, spreading global nuclear contamination', showed India having a nuclear test site.

The issue was taken up on Saturday at a function addressed among others by former prime minister I K Gujral and the Hiroshima mayor. A representative of the Delhi Science Forum, a co-organiser of the exhibition, while defending the ''censoring'' of the exhibition, said all except one of the seven controversial panels displayed an American bias.

''The show was mounted by a New York arts college for the Hiroshima Peace and Culture Foundation. It is natural therefore that there will be an American bias.''

He pointed out that the exhibition made no mention of who dropped the bomb at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Even Hiraoka's petition to the International Court of Justice at The Hague for complete elimination of nuclear weapons had not been mentioned.

He said the panels supported partial measures like the CTBT without demanding complete elimination of nuclear weapons, which is what the international community required and what India stood for.

However, the supporters of the exhibition point out that the organisers did not find anything wrong with the panels when the exhibition was put up in Bombay in February. All the 52 panels were displayed there.

Dr Dhirendra Sharma, director of the Centre for Science and Industrial Policy Research, said there was nothing controversial about the exhibition. He said when the whole world knew about India's position on CTBT, what was the need to object to the exhibition.

Speaking on the occasion, Gujral said India's position on CTBT was universally known. ''We have often said the treaty is discriminatory. It is like sinners telling us the virtues of chastity.''

He said the treaty in itself was incomplete. It was neither comprehensive nor did it intend to ban nuclear weapons. ''What we are for is the total elimination of nuclear weapons and if there is a step in that direction, we will be the first to join.''

He said India was among the first countries to sign the treaty on banning chemical weapons. This was because there was sincerity among the nations of the world towards banning chemical weapons. He said, ''We have said we are keeping the nuclear option open. We have never said we are using the option.''

Hiraoka said de-nuclearisation could only be achieved through the participation of the international community. Nations could solve all their problems through negotiations. However, if the negotiations failed, there were always international bodies like the ICJ.

UNI

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