Krishnamurthy Santhanam was an Indian nuclear scientist and the field director of

Defence Research and Development Organization The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) is an agency under the Department of Defence Research and Development in the Ministry of Defence of the Government of India, charged with the military's research and development, headqua ...

during the tests of

Pokhran-II Pokhran-II (''Operation Shakti'') was a series of five nuclear weapon tests conducted by India in May 1998. The bombs were detonated at the Indian Army's Pokhran Test Range in Rajasthan. It was the second instance of nuclear testing conducted ...

. He was in the news in 2009 when he disclosed that the 1998 tests at

Pokhran Pokhran (official spelling Pokaran; ) is a town and a municipality located 112 km east of Jaisalmer city in the Jaisalmer district of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is situated in the Thar Desert region. Surrounded by rocks, sand and ...

was not a total success, despite claims by several scientists including

Anil Kakodkar Anil Kakodkar, (born 11 November 1943) is an Indian nuclear power, nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, he was the Director of ...

and

A. P. J. Abdul Kalam Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam ( ; 15 October 193127 July 2015) was an Indian aerospace scientist and statesman who served as the president of India from 2002 to 2007. Born and raised in a Muslim family in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, Kala ...

. The Indian government, subsequent to these statements & the public pressure that mounted for further tests, ended up not signing the CTBT test ban treaty. Santhanam's statement was subsequently endorsed by P. K. Iyengar, the former chairman of the

Atomic Energy Commission of India The Atomic Energy Commission of India is the governing body of the Department of Atomic Energy (India), Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Government of India. The DAE is under the direct charge of the Prime Minister of India, Prime Minister. ...

. Santhanam is the editor of three books, ''United Nations: Multilateralism and International Security'', ''India and Central Asia: Advancing the Common Interest'' and ''Asian Security and China 2000-2010'' and the author of a number of articles. The

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

awarded him the

Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 Januar ...

, the third highest civilian award, in 1999.

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* Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in science & engineering Year of birth missing (living people) Scientists from Tamil Nadu Indian nuclear physicists Defence Research and Development Organisation Living people {{India-scientist-stub

See also

References

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