New Delhi: The investigation by the Indian Air Force officer (equivalent to Major General in the Army) is still going on but prima facie, a Group Captain-rank officer is being seen as blameworthy. The officer was in-charge of the mobile command post of the missile system when the accidental firing happened during a Command Air Staff Inspection (CASI) at its home base.
An Air Vice Marshal from the Air Force headquarters is carrying out a detailed investigation into the accidental firing of the tactical BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which landed in Pakistan on March 9.
The unintentional firing of a conventional (non-nuclear) BrahMos missile from an IAF.base in northern India, which may have provoked a response from Pakistan, was blamed on “human mistake” rather than “any technical breakdown”.
Making it clear that the Indian missile system is extremely trustworthy and secure, the Defence Minister had stated that Indian armed forces are experienced in handling such systems. Pakistan has been trying to rake up the issue of accidental missile firing at the international stage without realizing that the BrahMos missile is just a tactical system and was unarmed at the time of the incident.
The missile also did not cause any major damage to property or any loss of life in the Mian Channu town of Pakistan. India has also regretted the incident.
(Vinayak)