The tragic explosion on the INS Sindhurakshak is a major blow to the Indian Navy’s underwater force. It is now up to the board of inquiry to find out why the submarine disaster took place.
The fact remains, however, that our submarine fleet is in an already precarious state. With the old Russian (Soviet) Kilo class submarines like Sindhurakshak, which blew up while docked in Mumbai, and the German HDW class to be phased out soon, our operational submarine strength — that may possibly be reduced by half from the current inventory of 14 — may soon not be much more than Pakistan’s whereas China would probably have in excess of 50 in that time.
It is important to know what caused the explosion as the Navy has been involved in far too many incidents in the recent past. Navigational carelessness like running into ships near the port has cost us even more than accidents or possible lapses in standard operating procedures, as suspected on the Sindhurakshak, that had caught fire three years ago and was expensively refitted in Russia only a few months back. At least two collisions during navigation involving the submarine INS Sindhugosh and a surface warship INS Vindhyagiri point to procedural lapses by men rather than simply being accidents, which is something the Navy cannot afford.
Considering the geopolitics of the region and the uncertain security environment we live in, nothing can be ruled out, including sabotage. Henry Kissinger once famously said that “India is in the most dangerous neighbourhood in the world” — the point he made is stressed each time suspicions arise over such incidents involving the armed forces. The common guess is that hydrogen levels could have been dangerously high during a battery change since such a mishap may have taken place before. The inquiry should help pinpoint the cause and help clear any misgivings over how secure our top-secret military establishments are.
Confidential reports suggest that never before had our Navy been placed in such a vulnerable position. The human tragedy of the loss of lives — possibly as many as 15 seamen and three officers, including an XO — is a greater national loss. The bravery of the members of our armed forces is being severely tested in a series of recent events, including on the Line of Control thanks to Pakistani intransigence. To lose men in what may be avoidable tragedies like the explosion on board the INS Sindhurakshak is what makes the whole thing so much more poignant. Our hearts go out to the families of the brave sailors who perished.