Total 257 Army personnel were killed in various operations during the last three year and the current year. According to the data provided by Defence Minister Arun Jaitley in the lok Sabha on Friday, 21 personnel lost their lives in 22 accidents involving naval warships and submarines.
In a written reply, the Minister said 32 soldiers from Uttar Pradesh lost their lives in these operations while 26 of them belonged to Rajasthan. “A total of 22 accidents have been reported involving warships and submarines during the last 3 years and the current year. 21 navy personnel including six officers and 15 sailors lost their lives in 3 of these accidents,” he said.
The accidents involving INS Sindhurakshak and INS Sindhuratna account for 20 of these deaths. 18 personnel were killed in Sindhurakshak mishap which sank after an explosion in its torpedo compartment on August 14 last year while two officers had lost their lives in mishaps involving the INS Sindhuratna. In the last one year, the Navy has suffered over 15 accidents and this led to the resignation of former Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi taking the overall responsibility of these mishaps.