Indian CG and Navy squabbled over terror boat
Internal spat between navy and CG.
‘Terror boat’ row between Navy and Coast Guard puts India’s security at risk
It was an operation hailed as a classic example of joint-manship between multiple security agencies.
After the disaster of 26/11, when agencies could barely get their acts together before terror struck, here was timely cooperation neutralising the target before damage could be done.
However, now it is emerging that the case concerning the terror boat, which came perilously close to Indian waters on New Year’s eye, was not devoid of a turf war between the two lead maritime security agencies, i.e the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG).
Reliable sources have confirmed that the two agencies sparred for access to ICG in-shore patrol vessel (IPV) Rajratan, which was the craft which intercepted the Pakistani fishing vessel and its crew on the intervening night of December 31, 2014-January 1, 2015.
While the Navy was keen to get on-board and dig up details about the incident from the vessel’s records, which could include photographs, videos, ship’s logs, navigation charts, ammunition expended as well as access to the crew, the ICG was determined to stop this since it did not want its ‘crew members to be treated like accused persons’.
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Source: dailymail.co.uk
