Coast Guard blew up suspected ’Pak terror boat’, admits DIG

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Feb 18, 2015:  In another twist in the sinking of the controversial boat from Pakistan, a DIG of the Coast Guard has said that it was the Coast Guard which blew up the suspect ship.

As quoted in Indian Express, DIG B K Loshali, Chief of Staff (North West Region), Coast Guard, Gandhinagar said ’’ “Let me tell you, I hope you remember 31st December night… we blew off that Pakistan… We have blown them off… I was there at Gandhinagar and I told at night, blow the boat off. We don’t want to serve them biryani…”

He was speaking during the launch of Coast Guard interceptor boat ICGS C-421, designed and built by L&T, Surat. Also present during the launch were Coast Guard DIG Sudhir Sahni, in-charge of refit and production; and G Sethy, Deputy Commandant.

The statement directly contradicts the government’s position, who have maintained that the Pakistani fishing boat was in the sea for an "illicit transaction" and had blown itself up and no excessive force was used by the Coast Guard.

While there was debate as to whether those onboard the boat were terrorists or smugglers, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had categorically dismissed claims that the occupants of boat were smugglers, the Minister said he would classify them as "suspected or possible terrorists" since they had committed suicide after being intercepted and added that they were in touch with Pakistani maritime officials, "army and international contacts".

The Congress had also asked the government to come clean on the matter with the BJP accusing the former of providing "ammunition to Pakistan" and speaking their language besides playing "petty politics" on terror.

The Defence ministry in its release had stated that, “Based on the input, Coast Guard’s Dornier aircraft undertook sea-air coordinated search and located the suspect fishing boat. Thereafter, the Coast Guard ship on patrol in the area was diverted and intercepted the unlit boat at midnight of December 31 at a position 365 km south-west of Porbandar.”