Ahmedabad: In an apparent back-fire from angry government, the Coast Guard DIG B K Loshali lost his position as the chief of staff at north-west region. It is notable that DIG B K Loshali had contradicted the government’s version on the explosion on board a Pakistani vessel. DIG had said that the bote was blown up in mid-sea by the Coast guard, where as the government version was that the boad was blown up by suspected terrorists who were on the boat.
DIG B K Loshali was facing enquiry. Coast Guard sources are terming his removal as the chief of staff at north-west as a “routine procedure”.
Pakistani fishing boad on fire before it sank
“This is a routine procedure. Since a BoI is on, he has been attached to the zonal headquarters in Gandhinagar as per standard operating procedure,” Coast Guard sources said.
Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been ordered against him by the Coast Guard after they found his reply “unsatisfactory” to a showcause notice on his remarks that he had ordered blowing up of a Pakistani boat.
Loshali had contradicted government’s claim last week that the crew on an intruding Pakistani boat had set it ablaze.
Defence minister Manohar Parrikar, the ministry and the coast guard had maintained that when the boat was chased on the intervening night of December 31 and January 1 by Coast Guard ships, four men on board had set it ablaze.
The Coast Guard has said “suitable action will be taken on receipt of the proceedings of the Board of Inquiry”.