A file picture of INS Sindhuratna.
Seven officers of the Indian Navy who were found guilty have been punished in relation to the accident on the INS Sindhuratna, the submarine that suffered an on-board fire on February 26, 2014.
Senior Defence Ministry officials have told NDTV that the seven officers, including the submarine's Commanding Officer, have been found guilty of negligence and of not following Standard Operating Procedures.
The Commanding Officer of the INS Sindhuratna, of Commodore rank, will face a general court martial, according top Navy officials. The other six officers will receive a 'Letter of Severe Displeasure' from the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Robin Dhowan. None of them will be considered for any awards or promotions for the next two years.
Two officers had died and seven sailors injured in the accident. A fire had broken out on-board the diesel-electric submarine when it was on a routine mission. Smoke had engulfed the sailors' accommodation area when the Russian-made Kilo Class submarine was underwater, forcing the submarine to surface.
Then Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral DK Joshi, resigned, taking moral responsibility for the mishap.
The accident had come just months after explosions sank the INS Sindhurakshak, a submarine similar to the INS Sindhuratna, while it was docked in Mumbai. The incident had claimed the lives of 18 Navy personnel who were onboard at the time.