New Delhi, March 15: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday informed the Rajya Sabha that a high-level probe has been ordered into the incident of “accidental” firing of missile which landed in Pakistan’s territory on March 9.
Referring to the incident, he said that during routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 p.m. It was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. While this incident is regretted, we are relieved that nobody was hurt in the accident,” Singh further said.
The Defence Minister also said that the government has taken the issue very seriously and a high-level probe has already been ordered. “I also want to state that the standard operative procedures for operations, instructions, operations and maintenance will also being reviewed after this incident.”
“We attach utmost priority to the safety and security of our weapon system and if any error is found in this regard, that will be shorted out quickly. I also want to assure the House that our Missile system is highly secured and reliable besides the world class safety procedure,” Rajnath Singh said.
The armed forces are well trained and disciplined and capable of handling these advanced weaponry systems, he added.
Earlier, the Defence Ministry, in a statement, had said that on March 9, 2022, in the course of a routine maintenance, a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile. The Indian government has taken a serious view and “ordered a high-level court of inquiry”.
“It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident,” said the ministry.