The Government on Tuesday dismissed three IAF officers from service for the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile “accidental firing” on March 9 this year. The missile had landed in Pakistan. However, there were no casualties there.
The three officers include a Group Captain, a Wing Commander, and a Squadron Leader. They had deviated from the standard operating procedure.
Announcing this major development, the IAF said, “A BrahMos missile was accidentally fired on March 9. A Court of Inquiry set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile.
“These three officers have primarily been held responsible for the incident. Their services have been terminated by the Central Government with immediate effect. Termination orders have been served upon the officers on August 23.”
The missile was reportedly fired from a base in north India and it deviated from the course and landed 124 kms inside Pakistan in the Mian Channu area there. The missile did not carry any warhead.
The IAF had viewed the incident seriously and reviewed its standard operating procedures.
The Defence Ministry was also briefed about the inquiry committee report submitted to it sometime in mid-April. Sabotage was ruled out.
With questions raised about the training and other allied procedures in handling such sophisticated missile system, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had assured Parliament on March 15 that the missile system is very reliable and safe.
Pakistan had lodged a strong protest against the reported accidental firing of the missile and summoned the Indian Charge d’Affaires in Islamabad.
Backed by China, Pakistan also called for a joint probe. However, the US said it was an accident and the Indian Defence Ministry had given the details.
“We have no indication, as you also heard from our Indian partners, that this incident was anything other than an accident,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price had said. Pakistan termed the Indian Defence Ministry statement regretting the accident as a “simplistic explanation” while calling for a joint probe.
Major General Babar Iftikhar, the Director-General of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) of Pakistan, had claimed that an unarmed projectile launched from India entered the Pakistani airspace travelling 124 km and fell near Mian Channu. No loss of life was reported.
