6.26 pm: Action taken by Coast Guard was well-coordinated, says former Western Naval Command chief
Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, who is the former Western Naval Command chief, praised the Coastal Guard for the action taken by it.
"It was a very good thing that the coast guard reacted immediately. It was a very good co-ordinated action," said Sinha. "They went to the spot. The did whatever was required and they followed protocol."
Sinha also admitted that the entire incident looked sinister. "Their intentions were obviously not good. That's why after the Coast Guard fired some warning shots, it was blown up," he said.
The Coast Guard has also said that the boat was under surveillance by Dornier planes, according to NDTV.
5.55 pm: Five lakh paid to families of people on boat, said a voice from an intercepted call
According to reports, defence ministry is now inspecting a call intercepted between two people who are believed to be a terrorist on the boat and a handler. "You have to act according to the situation on the other side," said one person in the call, according to Times Now.
The intercepted boat after it was set on fire.
Another voice from the call reportedly said, "Five lakh each has been paid to the families of the people on boat." The last message from the call intercept said, "We have received the weapons."
Times Now also said that the point of origin of the calls was Pakistan. TV reports also said that the wireless set found on the boat was similar to the ones used by the Pakistan army.
KR Nautiyal, Deputy Director General (Operations & Coastal Security) of the Indian Coast Guard, recounted the boat chase and said, "We diverted our surface vessel to intercept the suspicious entity.
"The surface vessel reached the area by around 10.30 pm. When we encountered this boat, it started running and moved further into Indian waters. We fired some warning shots after which some people came on the upper deck of the boat. Then, they went inside the boat and set it on fire."
Nautiyal also said that the boat sank completely by 6.30 am the next morning. He also said that Coast Guard ships were still at the area for further investigation.
5.41 pm: Coast Guard did a commendable job in stopping terror attack similar to 26/11, say defence experts
Among the reactions to the incident, Defence expert SR Sinho told ANI, "Since they blew up the boat, this gives a clear indication that terrorists were coming with explosives." He also said that this was a big achievement of the Coast Guard.
Image Courtesy: PIB
"We should assume that Pakistan will never stop this. First, they violated ceasefire along the border in Jammu and Kashmir. Then, they choose to infiltrate through the sea in the style of 26/11 attack," said Sinho.
Another defence expert Rear Admiral Raja Menon said, "We have learnt a lot since 26/11. The speed with which the coast guard reacted is commendable."
"This a matter of great concern. It could be an indication of an upcoming terrorist attack, said defence expert Qamar Agha.
5.20 pm: No doubt crew of intercepted boat were terrorists, says Coast Guard
The Coast Guard now confirms that the crew of the boat intercepted near Gujarat coast had terror operatives. The Coast Guard told Times Now, "No doubt the crew of the boat were terror operatives."
Meanwhile defence sources told the TV channel that there was also a wireless set found on the boat.
Also Venkaiah Naidu reacted to the news and said, "Pakistan has been aiding, abetting, funding and training terrorists."
4.50 pm: Could be attempt to sneak terrorists into India, says BJP
BJP leader GVL Narasimha Rao told ANI that the boat vessel entering Indian waters was possibly an attempt to sneak terrorists into Indian territory. He also assured that the Coast Guard has foiled the attempt to do that.
Meanwhile, Coast Guard ships, choppers and aircraft are conducting search operations in the area to search for any possible survivors.
4.30 pm: Suspicious boat intercepted by Coast Guard near Gujarat coast
A suspected terror bid was foiled by the Coast Guard on New Year's Eve when officials intercepted a suspicious boat near the Porbandar coast off Guajrat, say reports.
The boat was reportedly carrying four suspected terrorists and had begun its journey from Karachi in Pakistan, according to Times Now.
Reuters image
The channel reported that the persons on the boat were suspected to Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists.
The National Technical Research Organisation (NTRO) was reportedly tracking the boat right after it left Karachi. NTRO later on notified the Coast Guard about the boat, after which it was tracked down using a Dornier aircraft.
When the boat was around 365 kilometres from the coast of Porbandar, the boat was intercepted by a Coast Guard vessel, after which a chase followed.
"The Coast Guard ship warned the fishing boat to stop for further investigation of the crew and cargo; however, the boat increased speed and tried to escape away from the Indian side of maritime boundary. The hot pursuit continued for nearly one hour and the Coast Guard ship managed to stop the fishing boat after firing warning shots," the Ministry of Defence said in a statement.
The ministry said that four persons were seen on the boat but all of them didn't pay heed to the Coast Guard's warnings to stop and co-operate with the investigations.
"Soon thereafter, the crew hid themselves in below deck compartment and set the boat on fire, which resulted in an explosion and major fire on the boat," the statement said.
The boat sank on the spot. The Coast Guard was unable to find any survivors or bodies on account of the darkness and bad weather.
"The boat burnt and sank in the same position, in early hours of 1 January. Coast Guard ships and aircraft are continuing operations in area to search for any possible survivor," the ministry said in the statement.
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service - if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read the FAQ at http://ift.tt/jcXqJW.
from Top Stories - Google News http://ift.tt/1vPN4Ko
via IFTTT
0 comments:
Post a Comment