By Ajai Shukla
Yelahanka, Bengaluru
Business Standard, 19th February 2015
A Pakistani boat that the Indian Coast Guard intercepted 365
kilometres off Porbandar on the night of the New Year, and which sank without
trace or survivors after four “terrorists” on board apparently set it on fire,
has come back to haunt the ministry of defence (MoD), which had backed the
coast guard’s account of having warded off a terror strike in the making.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had personally endorsed
the coast guard’s account, stating in a television interview that the surest
proof of the boat crew’s malevolent intent lay in the fact that they had
committed suicide when they were intercepted.
Now, a senior coast guard officer, Deputy Inspector General
(DIG) BK Loshali, has been videotaped boasting to an audience in Surat that he
had ordered that the boat be “blown off”.
“I hope you remember 31st December. We blew off
the Pakistan… we have blown them off. I was at Gandhinagar and I told at night
we don’t want to serve them biryani”, Loshali says in the video.
Several media reports, including a “news analysis” piece in
this newspaper (January 5, “Terror boat”: Questions linger)
had placed question marks over the coast guard’s story. It was unclear why a fast-moving
coast guard ship pursued a
slow-moving fishing boat for an hour before intercepting it; the coast guard’s
account of the crew blowing up their own boat; why photographs of the burning
boat showed no signs of explosives; and why there were no bodies or debris
could be recovered.
Yet, Parrikar continues to stand by the coast guard’s
version, which was put out in a MoD release on January 1. "The Defence
Ministry had given a very clear statement. We stand by it”, said Parrikar to
the media at Aero India 2015 in Bengaluru today.
When it was pointed out that DIG Loshali had himself
confessed that the coast guard had “blown them off”, Parrikar hinted that
disciplinary action might be taken against him, and that he might be a
disgruntled officer.
"At the most if you prove that he has made statement,
you are making a case of taking action against him. It does not change ground
reality," he said.
Asked by Business Standard why Parrikar had not fulfilled
his promise, made in a television interview, to release video footage that
would prove that the coast guard vessel had not shot at the boat and set it on
fire, Parrikar denied ever having promised to release video.
“I said I would release proof, not video”, he said.
The television footage in which Parrikar promised in early
January to release video proof “within two or three days” was played out on
television on Wednesday night.
After the Indian Express reported on Wednesday morning that
DIG Loshali had boasted about blowing off the Pakistani boat, Loshali denied
having made any such statement. Later on Wednesday, the Indian Express released
video footage of Loshali’s speech, which corroborated the newspaper report.
This incident was first played as a major coastal security
success, in which the National Technical Research Organisation intercepted satellite phone messages that
suggested a Pakistani boat that had sailed from Karachi would tranship
explosives to an Indian receiver, who would bring it ashore. According to the
account, a coast guard vessel then intercepted the boat, which was then sunk by
terrorists on board.
This story,
questioned from the start, now lies in tatters.
Ajai wiuth due respectyou keep asking why it takes an hour to chase down a fisjing boat. Even if the CG boat was at 20 knots and the fishing boat at 10, you spot her 10 miles off and it takes an dhour to cloe the gap. Its just simple maths. And the distance on spotting was probably further off.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteEven if the story is concocted or a total goof up,why are we exposing ourselves to international ridicule?Why not just shut up and try to shield our C.G./Navy?We can conduct internal enquiry and avoid these incidents.Even a smuggling vessel should meet the same fate since smuggling is an attack on India's economy.If a Pakistan -sponsored agent exploding bombs outside the stock exchange is anti-national,so is this.Shame our media and other go out on India and Modi- bashing .I am no acolyte of the present dispensation but now we should be patriots and not give Pakistan another stick to beat us up.Regards,
I saw the news clip. When the comment is being made, the video is of audience. Hence, I am not ready to take at face value the report of in a media house. Did one media house also not float the conspiracy theory of an attempted coup by a chief a few years back
ReplyDeleteWhat a pathetic attempt to draw attention to a non-event !
ReplyDeleteThere was a fishing trawler in Indian territorial waters and the perpetrators refused to surrender and were trying to get away in the middle of the night. According to you should the CG have provided them a guard of honor ? If they got away and there was another 26/11 on our hands would you be arguing here like this ?
lesson learnt from 26/11 when in doubt shoot first and ask questions later and I am proud of the action taken by the ICG.
Jai Hind !!!
Hey, we admire the patriotism of all the commentators but should it be blinding factor. The FV was buzzed by the Dornier aircraft - still it chose to enter Indian waters. Parrikar, cannot fathom the difference between your legal sovereign 12 mile border from the 200 mile EEZ. You finally get to the FV at 197 miles! Ha ha - what a fairy tale chase after getting the Dornier aircraft and shadowing the boat. Look at the vessel, it's on fire. There is no explosion. The FV has been set on fire with oil on it's decks and superstructructre.
ReplyDeleteTo the Coast Guard and Parrikar : Try a better one next time. This one didn't cut the cake.