Soon after The Indian Express released the video of Coast Guard DIG BK Loshali's claiming that he ordered Pakistan boat to be blown off, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar took some tough questions on the issue from reporters but maintained that he stood by the statement issued soon after the incident in early January 2015. Not offering to issue a clarification on the DIG's statement, he said that a probe will be ordered into his remarks.
"The government will order inquiry into the incident. If require, we will take action after proper inquiry," he said in Bengaluru while addressing a press conference on Aero India 2015.
He also added that the Indian government stands by its earlier statement issued over the explosion that the boat had terror links and was not merely used for smuggling. "Defence Ministry stands by what it has said earlier. As of now we have issued a denial," he claimed.
The Indian Express on Wednesday released the video showing Loshali claiming that he ordered the Pakistani boat which was near the Indian maritime border on the intervening night of December 31, 2014 and January 1, 2015 be blown off.
The DIG is clearly seen in the video boasting that the Indian Coast Guard blew off the boat. "I was given a speech but I want to speak my mind. Thanking the coastguard officials and other dignitaries present there he said, it is indeed a pleasure to be here, in front of you. This is my second visit to Surat and I feel privileged to be here in this auspicious occasion of launching this boat.
"I hope you remember 31st December. We blew off the Pakistan.. We have blown them off. I was at Gandhinagar and I told at night we don't want to serve them biryani," Loshali said in the video.
A Pakistani boat was intercepted on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 along the maritime border off Gujarat coast after Indian intelligence agencies alerted the Coast Guard of the vessel being involved in some illegal transaction.
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