NEW DELHI: After hurtling the government into a mega-controversy, the officer who declared that he had ordered the blowing up of a Pakistani fishing boat with four people on board has apologised in writing to the Defence Ministry. The matter is unlikely to end there, said sources, warning that disciplinary action is likely.
BK Loshali, Deputy Inspector General with the Coast Guard in Gujarat, had earlier this week said, "I hope you remember the 31st December night. We blew off the Pakistan... we blew them off." A video of his remarks was released by newspaper
The Indian Express.
(Watch)
Mr Loshali's comments which said he ordered the boat to be attacked as it approached Indian waters on New Year's Eve off the coast of Gujarat contradicted the government's version. On January 1, the Defence Ministry said in a statement that the boat laden with explosives was intercepted by the Coast Guard because it was planning an unspecified illegal transaction and the people on board set it on fire, causing it to explode and sink.
The furore ignited by Mr Loshali's remarks forced Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar to clarify that the government's stand remains unchanged. He said he would review the video of the Coast Guard official's remarks, and "take action if needed." The officer said at a press conference that his remarks had been misconstrued and that he was not in a position to know what happened to the boat because he did not handle the operation.
Today, sources in the Defence Ministry said that the explanation furnished by Mr Loshali is "not satisfactory."