New Delhi: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Rajya Sabha on Monday talked about the incident of the accidental release of a missile on March 9, 2022. The missile had landed in an area of Pakistan on the same day. The minister also said at the Rajya Sabha that India's missile system is highly reliable and safe.
Singh said at the Rajya Sabha that during routine maintenance and inspection of the missile unit, one missile got released accidentally at around 7 pm, news agency ANI reported.
“I would like to tell this House about an incident that occurred on 9th March 2022. It is related to an accidental missile release during the inspection. During routine maintenance and inspection of the missile unit, around 7 pm, one missile got accidentally released,” ANI quoted the Defence Minister as saying.
Singh further said that it was later known that the missile fell in Pakistan’s territory. He called the incident “regrettable”, He said it is a relief that no losses happened.
Singh informed the Rajya Sabha that an official order for a high-level probe has been given. “I would like to inform the House that the government has taken this matter very seriously and an official order for a high-level probe has been given,” the minister said.
Singh said that the exact cause of the incident can be known only through a probe. “I would also like to say that in the context of this incident, standard operating procedures of operations, maintenance and inspections are also being reviewed,” he added.
Singh also said: “We give highest priority to safety and security of our weapon system”. He said that if any shortcoming is found in this context, it will immediately be rectified.
“I would like to assure the House that our missile system is highly reliable and safe. Our safety procedure and protocols are high-level,” the minister told the Rajya Sabha.
The missile crashed on the ground near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistan’s Punjab region on March 9, inflicting damage to civilian property.