BrahMos Missile: Central Govt Sacks 3 IAF Officers With Immediate Effect For Misfiring Into Pakistan

The central government terminated the service of three Indian Air Force (IAF) officers on Tuesday. The officers were primarily responsible for misfiring the BrahMos Missile into Pakistan on March 9 this year. The court's inquiry found that 'deviation from the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)' by these officers has led to this accidental firing.

On March 11 this year, the defence ministry said that the accidental firing of BrahMos Missile from India that landed in Pakistan is 'deeply regrettable, and the incident occurred due to technical glitches in the routine maintenance course. The ministry then said that the government had taken the incident as a 'serious view', and a 'Court of Enquiry' had been ordered.

Findings Of The Enquiry

The IAF officials, highlighting the termination of three officers, said, "Three officers have primarily been held responsible for the BrahMos missile misfiring incident on March 9, 2022. Central Government has terminated their services with immediate effect. Termination orders have been served upon the officers today, August 23," reported News18.

However, the IAF administration has not disclosed the names and ranks of terminated officers.

A closure report by the court mentioned, "A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile."

Pakistan Expresses Strong Protest

The counterpart in the case, Pakistan, has intervened and mentioned that a high-speed projectile was launched from India which entered the airspace of Pakistan and landed near the Mian Channu area of Khanewal district. India's Charge d'Affaires was also summoned by Islamabad, and it expressed strong protest and agitation over the violation of its airspace by a missile of Indian origin.

The foreign office of Pakistan also stated after the incident took place. It reads, "super-sonic flying object" entered Pakistan from India's Suratgarh at 6:43 pm (PST) on March 9 and fell to the ground near Mian Channu city at around 6:50 pm, causing damage to civilian property."

The Indian Defence Ministry clarified the matter on India's part. It said that the misfiring of the BrahMos missile was due to a technical malfunction, and a high-level court of Inquiry has also been ordered. It's a matter of relief that no loss of life was reported due to this accident, the ministry added.

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