3 navy officers face court martial for INS Betwa accident

New Delhi (1 MIN READ): The Indian Navy commenced court martial proceedings against three senior officers last week for their alleged role in the 2016 INS Betwa accident. Two sailors had been killed while 14 others were injured in the accident that had taken place at the Mumbai naval dockyard on December 5, 2016.

The General Court Martial (GCM) against the three officers has commenced after a Board of Inquiry found them guilty of negligence that led to the tragic incident. The three officials include the captain of the warship and two of its commanders.

On December 5, 2016, Betwa, the frontline warship of the Indian Navy, had tipped over towards the port while being undocked during a maintenance refit.

“The incident was sad and tragic. The warship was repaired and made operational again at a huge cost,” an Indian Navy source said.

Sources said a US-based company was hired by the Navy at a cost of Rs 20 crore to make the warship operational again.

INS Betwa, which weighs around 3,850 tons, is a Brahmaputra-class guided missile frigate christened after the river in North India that has the same name.

Commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 2004, it helped evacuate Indian citizens trapped in Lebanon during the latter’s conflict with Israel in 2006.

Published on: July 31, 2019 at 00:39 IST

By IANS