‘A symbol of strength’: India bolsters nuclear triad with submarine INS Aridhaman

It entered service on a day defence minister Rajnath Singh stressed that a powerful navy is “an absolute necessity.” Hours before the navy inducted the locally-built Aridhaman, Singh made a rare acknowledgement of the steady expansion of India’s deployed nuclear forces. It is the country’s third Arihant-class submarine, and will serve as an undetectable launch platform for delivering nuclear warheads thousands of kilometres away. “Shabd nahi shakti hai, ‘Aridaman’ (Aridaman is not a word but a symbol of strength),” he wrote on X. (Also spelt as Aridhaman) The commissioning ceremony—the second of the day—took place in Singh’s presence, the officials…