INS Betwa mishap: Mortal remains of sailor consigned to flames

The mortal remains of sailor Ashutosh Pande, who lost his life in the INS Betwa mishap in Mumbai, were consigned to flames with full military honours at his hometown here.

His body was brought by a Navy plane to Dhana airstrip near here and then was taken to his home in Sadbhavna Nagar in a military vehicle for the last rites. His kin and a large number of people were present for the cremation which took place on the 10th Battalion cremation ground yesterday. However, reportedly no senior official from the district administration attended the cremation.

Responding to this, Sagar district in-charge collector Kaushlendra Singh said, "If nobody from the administration reached there, then it was a big mistake and it will be ensured that in future such things won't happen." Ashutosh's younger brother Akhilesh lit the funeral pyre.

The Navy has ordered a Board of Inquiry (BoI) into the tipping over of guided missile frigate INS Betwa during undocking at Naval Dockyard in Mumbai that killed two personnel and injured 15 others.

The 3850-tonne ship, having a length of 126 metres, tipped over while it was being undocked. The mast of the ship hit the dockyard ground, a Naval official had said.