Top navy officer likely to face court martial in submarine mishap

NEW DELHI: A commodore-rank officer may face a court martial on the basis of a probe into the submarine mishap off the Mumbai coast recently which led to the resignation of admiral DK Joshi as chief of naval staff.

Two officers had lost their lives in the mishap involving INS Sindhuratna on February 26 after which the naval headquarters had ordered an inquiry which was conducted by a board headed by rear admiral Sunil Bokhare.

On the basis of this inquiry, western naval command is understood to have recommended to the headquarters court martial of an officer holding the position of a commodore, equivalent to a brigadier in the army, sources said today. Two mid-ranking officers have also been recommended for being awarded “severe displeasure”, they said.

The officer was closely associated with the trials on board the Russian-origin Kilo Class submarine INS Sindhuratna.