Sindhuratna mishap: Navy Board of Inquiry recommends action against officers

The Board of Inquiry set up to investigate reasons behind the mishap involving INS Sindhuratna has recommended disciplinary action against some officers. On February 26, two officers had lost their lives in the mishap on board of INS Sindhuratna, which led to the resignation of navy chief Admiral DK Joshi.

According to Navy sources, the professional directorate in Naval headquarters will look into the recommendations made by the Board of Inquiry before forwarding it to the ministry of defence for action.

Sources have indicated that since it was a serious accident in which two officers lost their lives, the cause of the accident has to be established.

After the accident, a Board of Inquiry was carried out by Rear Admiral Sunil Bokhare who is the Flag Officer (Submarines). The Board of Inquiry report has been submitted by the Western Command with its
recommendations to the Naval Headquarters here. The recommendations will be examined by various branches of the force, the sources said.

The recommendations of the probe report and the Western Naval Command will have to be confirmed by the Naval Headquarters before any action is initiated against the officers, they said.

Navy chief Admiral Joshi had resigned after the mishap involving Sindhuratna taking moral responsibility for it and other accidents involving naval warships and submarines.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Navy Command has ordered a Board of Inquiry into the loss of a torpedo during trials off the Vishakhapatnam coast recently. The inquiry is being done to put on record the loss of the trial
torpedo being developed by Kazakhstan, Navy officials said.