New Delhi: The services of three Indian Air Force (IAF) officers were terminated on Tuesday in connection with the accidental firing of a BrahMos missile into Pakistan earlier this year,
They include a Group Captain and two Wing Commanders.
A BrahMos missile was accidentally fired on March 9, 2022. A Court of Inquiry (Col), 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 were primarily held responsible for the incident.
The BrahMos missile got accidentally fired from an airbase and landed inside Pakistan at a place called Mian Channu. The Pakistan government had registered its objection to the incident but much before that, an investigation was launched by India.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on March 15 stated that a high-level probe was ordered into the incident that involved the accidental launch of a missile into Pakistani territory.
Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Rajnath Singh said, “A missile was unfortunately accidentally launched on March 9. The incident occurred during a routine inspection. We later came to know that it had landed in Pakistan. I would like to inform the House that the government has taken serious note of the incident. A formal high-level inquiry has been ordered. The inquiry would determine the exact cause of the said accident,” he said. “Thankfully, no damage was reported due to the accidental launch of the missile,” he added.
