The Indian Air Force (IAF) has sacked three officers for accidentally firing a missile into Pakistan earlier this year.
The IAF Court of Inquiry (CoI) into the incident found that deviation from Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by three officers led to the incident.
“A BrahMos missile was accidentally fired on March 09, 2022. A CoI, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the SOP by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile,” the IAF said in a statement.
“These three officers have primarily been held responsible for the incident. Their services have been terminated by the Central Government with immediate effect. Termination orders have been served upon the officers on August 23, 2022,” the statement added.
The incident happened on March 9, when an unarmed Indian missile intruded deep into the Pakistani territory and fell near Mian Channu damaging civilian property.
At the time of the incident, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar said that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) continuously monitored the flight path of the missile from its point of origin in India till its point of impact and initiated required tactical actions in accordance with its standard operating procedures.
The Indian defence ministry had called the incident ‘deeply regrettable’, and ordered a high-level court of inquiry into the incident.
