Indian Navy submarine INS Sindhuratna (file pic)
An inquiry into the fire on board INS Sindhuratna - the Russian built Kilo Class submarine - in February this year has "found seven officers culpable of various acts of omissions and commissions," Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar told Parliament today.
This includes a Commodore rank officer - equivalent to a Brigadier in the Army.
Two Navy officers were killed in the fire and some others were hospitalised.
Mr Parrikar said in his written reply in the Rajya Sabha that the report of a Board of Inquiry set up to investigate the accident has been submitted to the Naval headquarters and disciplinary action has been initiated at the Western naval Command headquarters against the seven officers.
The Sindhuratna fire on February 26 came after a series of mishaps involving the Navy's assets and the then Navy Chief Admiral DK Joshi had resigned soon after owning moral responsibility.
Months earlier, another submarine, the INS Sindhurakshak, exploded and sank killing 18 crewmen on board. Mr Parrikar said today that a Board of Inquiry report into that tragedy has also been submitted, but an examination of it is yet to completed.
An early investigation into the Sindhuratna fire had established that the fire was caused due to problems in the cables of the vessel.
Earlier, speaking to NDTV, Navy chief Admiral Robin Dhowan had indicated that standard operating procedures were not followed leading to explosion on board INS Sindhurakshak, in which 18 sailors had died.