INS SINDHURAKSHAK ACCIDENT CANNOT BE BLAMED ON ANYONE: PARRIKAR

[Major Shaitan Singh]

The government today said the explosion onboard submarine INS Sindhurakshak in 2013 that led to the death of 18 personnel was "probably induced" during the process of arming of the torpedoes and cannot be blamed on anyone.

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, in a written reply to a question, told Rajya Sabha that the accident cannot be blamed on anyone since none of the officers or sailors present inside the submarines survived.
However, he said that disciplinary action against two officers in the chain of command has been initiated for individual lapses.

"Board of Inquiry (BoI) has concluded that the incident onboard INS Sindhurakshak in the night of 13/14 August 2013 was an accident probably induced during the process of arming of the torpedoes.
"Since none of the officers and sailors present inside the submarine survived, it has not been possible to attribute any blame to any individual for failure or negligence, if any," he said.

He said that lessons learnt from the reports of BoI are implemented appropriately.
Corrective steps have been taken by Naval Headquarters with extensive checks on weapon-related safety systems and audit of Standard Operating Procedures on all operational naval units, he said.
"Safety procedures and professional checks have been re-emphasised. Incidents Study and Analysis Cells have been instituted at professional schools wherein lessons learnt are incorporated into professional training. Safety Audits of various units are being regularly conducted," he said.

The INS Sindhurakshak accident is regarded as the worst submarine disaster for the Indian Navy and had led to the resignation of then Navy chief Admiral D K Joshi.
The Minister also gave details of accidents or incidents involving the Navy since 2014.
According to his figures, there were 12 accidents or incidents involving Navy vessels since January 2014.