Navy probe nails commanding officer for Prahar sinking

The Western Naval Command’s investigations into the shock sinking of INS Prahar, a missile boat from the Western fleet, are complete and conclude gross negligence on the part of the vessel’s commanding officer Lt Cdr Yogesh Tripathi. The Navy said that Tripathi would face the severest possible action (court martial) in the next three to four months. INS Prahar sank on April 21 after colliding with a merchant vessel off the coast of Goa, though all 73 personnel were rescued.

With the inquiry over and Tripathi relinquishing command of the vessel, the next phase will involve the attributability of blame. This is a formality that will lead up to the actual disciplinary proceedings under the Western Command later this year. While Naval headquarters has remained silent on the fallout of the accident, a deep sense of consternation has compelled it to send out strongly worded directives to its fleets to avoid accidents, even minor ones, at all costs. Navy Chief Admiral Arun Prakash, who begins his round of farewell ceremonials next month — he retires October-end — has also made his displeasure “amply clear”.

Three months before the ship went down, stealth frigate INS Trishul rammed into a merchant vessel off the Mumbai coast, with action against its skipper Commander Sunil David also imminent. An officer with Command headquarters said, “Indictments will float down to the officer on the watch at the time of collision and other personnel, but proceedings will fall hardest on the commanding officer since the ultimate responsibility for the vessel rested with him.”

Parliament was told earlier this month that the ship’s sinking had caused a loss of Rs 160.45 crore, with the possibility of salvaging the vessel entirely out of the question. The Navy’s Project 28, which envisages the production of four new generation anti-submarine corvettes is on schedule, with the first to sail out of Kolkata shipyards in 2008-09.