Coast Guard fires DIG who 'blew up' Pakistani boat

Coast Guard deputy inspector general (DIG) B K Loshali, who 'ordered' the blowing up of a Pakistani boat on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1, 2015, has been dismissed from service.

"Court martial was carried out on Saturday evening as per the outcome of the Board of Inquiry that went on for over three months," said an officer.

Loshali was found guilty of all charges during the inquiry that was held in Mumbai.

A year ago, during New Year night, a Pakistani fishing boat with four occupants, suspected to be having terror links, went up in flames. This led to a diplomatic row between India and Pakistan, with India maintaining that the boat had suspected terrorists and they themselves blew up the boat.

But on February 15, Loshali, while addressing officers of the Coast Guard and a private company, claimed that he ordered that the boat be destroyed.

"I was there at Gandhinagar, and I told at night, 'blow the boat off. We don't want to serve them biryani'", he said. This put India in an embarrassing spot.

Soon after, the defence ministry removed him from the position of Chief of Staff, North West, and attached him to the force's Gandhinagar-based regional headquarters.