Naval inquiry: ‘Human error’ led to INS Sindhuratna fire

New Delhi: The preliminary inquiry report on the INS Sindhuratna tragedy stated that a 'human error' led to the fire on the submarine. Reportedly, the probe mentions a deviation from standard operating procedure.

According to media, the report had revealed that fire in some cables led to the smoke in the third compartment. Earlier it was said that the smoke was caused by faulty batteries.

Reportedly, the Naval inquiry stated mishaps are a result of disorganisation.

Two sailors died and seven members of the 94-strong crew were evacuated after inhaling smoke aboard the diesel-powered INS Sindhuratna.

After the mishap, Admiral D K Joshi had resigned as Navy Chief taking ‘moral responsibility’.

In his resignation letter, Joshi said though the government continued to repose faith is his capabilities, it was becoming untenable for him to continue as the head of the maritime force in terms of accountability.

TRAINING QUESTIONED

Defense analysts said submarine crew members in the Indian navy were not getting enough training on one type of vessel before moving to another, increasing risks that minor incidents could have fatal consequences.

"It's a very ominous situation to be in," said Uday Bhaskar, a fellow at Delhi's National Maritime Foundation. "The Indian navy is going through a blighted phase."

Handling a ship comes with experience and young officers weren't getting the time needed on smaller vessels before moving onto bigger ones, said Bharat Karnad, a senior fellow of national security studies at the Centre for Policy Research.

"You're beginning to see a trend and it's not a happy situation," said Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation.

India has been operating submarines for decades, their numbers are dwindling with delays in procurement since the turn of the century, Rajagopalan noted.

Older submarines were being retired without being replaced with new ones, and the top political leadership had washed its hands off the matter, she said.

India's navy has had far fewer accidents than the air force, which has been dogged for years by crashes of Russian-made MiG-21 fighters.

However, most of the country's fleet of more than a dozen submarines is in urgent need of modernization. Efforts to build a domestic arms industry have meanwhile made slow progress, with India still the world's largest weapons importer.

The INS Sindhuratna, a Soviet-built Kilo class vessel, was commissioned in 1988.