Indian Air Force fires 3 officers for firing missile into Pakistan

NEW DELHI: The Indian Air Force said Tuesday it has fired three officers for accidentally firing a missile into Pakistan earlier this year — on March 9.

The missile landing did not result in casualties, and both the nuclear-armed nations handled the situation calmly — with no further escalation.

"BrahMos" is a nuclear-capable and land-attack cruise missile which had been launched into Pakistan on March 9. It was jointly developed by India and Russia.

The incident prompted Islamabad to seek answers from New Delhi on safety mechanisms in place to avoid accidental missile launches.

"A Court of Inquiry, set up to establish the facts of the case, including fixing responsibility for the incident, found that deviation from the Standard Operating Procedures by three officers led to the accidental firing of the missile," the air force said in a statement.

The Indian Air Force said the government had dismissed the three officers with immediate effect today.

Pakistan had summoned Indian Charge d'Afaires (Cd'A) to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs days after the incident to record the nation's protest over the incident.

"The Government of India is cautioned to be mindful of the unpleasant consequences of such negligence and take effective measures to avoid the recurrence of such violations in future," a statement by the FO stated.