Union Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Wednesday reiterated the government's stand and said that he would order an inquiry into the video which reportedly shows Coast Guard Deputy Inspector General (DIG) B.K. Loshali ordering the blowing up of a Pakistani boat.
"You are making a case of disciplinary proceedings for wrong statements. The Defence Ministry has given a very clear statement. We stand by it. The issue is over. If someone has made some wrong statements then you are making a case of disciplinary proceedings against him," Parrikar told a press conference here.
The Defence Minister also promised to look into the entire episode.
"I will make inquiry against that. I will take the video copy. I will check up whether he has made the statement properly, word to word what he said, what was reported," said Parrikar.
"We will take action against the person if required, if he has made the statement, after making a proper inquiry," he added.
Parrikar further said that the government was not responsible if a serviceman makes an incorrect statement.
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"There are 15 to 16 lakh servicemen in India. If someone makes an incorrect statement, the government is not responsible," he said.
Loshali had earlier today claimed that he was misquoted and said the Pakistani boat, which was near the Indian maritime border on the intervening night of December 31, 2014 and January 1, 2015, actually set itself on fire and sunk.
As per a report in a daily newspaper, Loshali had ordered officers following the Pakistani vessel to 'blow the boat off', thus contradicting the government's claim that the boat had exploded under suspicious circumstances.
The newspaper also shared a video where Loshali reportedly says, "I hope you remember the 31st December night. We blew off the Pakistan...we blew them off."
On December 31, the Coast Guard had intercepted an explosive-laden Pakistani fishing boat in the Arabian Sea off the Porbandar coast, near the India-Pakistan maritime boundary approximately 365 kilometres away from Porbandar.
A statement by the Ministry of Defence had said that intelligence inputs indicated that the boat was planning some illicit transaction in the Arabian Sea. Based on the information, a Coast Guard Dornier aircraft undertook a sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect vessel.
According to the statement, on being warned, the suspects increased the speed of the boat and attempted to flee to maritime boundary before ultimately setting the vessel on fire resulting in an explosion. Ultimately, the boat burnt and sank in the early hours of January 1. None of the people on board could be saved and the material could not be recovered.