Coast Guard releases video of burning ‘terror boat’ as Centre does damage control

Mumbai: Shortly after Deputy Inspector General of the Coast Guard raked up a controversy with his remarks of him ordering the blowing up of the suspected terror boat, the Coast Guard has released a video of the Pakistani fishing boat going up in flames off the coast of Gujarat on New Year’s eve.

The move comes after the Coast Guard on Friday ordered a ‘board of inquiry’ against its North West Region Chief of Staff DIG B K Loshali after finding his reply "unsatisfactory" to a show cause notice on his remarks that he had ordered blowing up of a Pakistani boat.

Read: Video shows Coast Guard DIG saying ‘blow the (Pak) boat off’

On Tuesday, Loshali had contradicted government's claim that the crew on an intruding Pakistani boat had set it ablaze. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, the Defence Ministry and the Coast Guard had maintained that when the boat was chased by Coast Guard vessels four men on board had set it ablaze.

Read: Pak terror boat operation not headed by DIG Loshali: Coast Guard Deputy DG

"DIG B K Loshali was served a showcause notice on February 18. The reply to the notice has been received and is found to be unsatisfactory. Therefore, in accordance with the extant procedures a board of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the details and establish the facts," the Coast Guard said in a release.

Read: ‘Terror’ boat row: Proven that India has violated international rules, says Pakistan defence minister

The Coast Guard also circulated a CD of the December 31 operation off the Porbandar coast among the journalists to back their claim that the boat was blown up by its Pakistani occupants.

It also said the Coast Guard stands by the information released to media by Ministry of Defence dated on January 2 and rejected various media interpretation on the issue of interception of the boat.

The Coast Guard said "suitable action will be taken on receipt of the proceedings of the Board of Inquiry".

"Further it has also been established from the commanding officer of the coastguard ship Raj Ratan, involved in the operation on the night of December 31, 2014 that he had received no communication from DIG B K Loshali," the release said.