Coast Guard DIG BK loshali was dismissed from service following a Board of Inquiry over his comments that contradicted the Government’s stand on the sinking of a Pakistan fishing boat last year. The probe was conducted by a panel of senior DIG rank officers for three months and found loshali of all charges on Saturday last, Coast Guard officials said here on Monday.
On the eve of New Year last year, a Pakistani fishing boat said to be carrying explosives was intercepted by the Coast Guard off the coast of Gujarat, but the vessel exploded and caught fire before sinking along with four occupants. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had then said the “circumstantial evidence” indicated that the Pakistani boat had suspected terror links.
While the Government maintained the boat was set on fire by its crew, loshali told an audience of Coast Guard and larsen & Toubro officials on February 15 that he had ordered to blow off the boat thereby causing embarrassment for the Government as well as the Coast Guard. On “December 31 night, I was there at Gandhinagar, and I told at night, blow the boat off. We don’t want to serve them biryani,” loshali had said.
His remarks came in the backdrop of Parrikar dismissing claims that the occupants of boat were smugglers and stating that he would classify them as “suspected or possible terrorists” since they had committed suicide after being intercepted and added that they were in touch with Pakistani maritime officials, “army and international contacts.”
Following loshali’s controversial remarks, he was removed from the position of Chief of Staff, North West and attached him to the force’s Gandhinagar-based regional headquarters. A Board of Inquiry at Mumbai was also constituted to look into the matter, which probed the matter for over three months and initiated court martial proceedings against the officer.