Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Purnendu Pritam
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh made a statement on the 'inadvertent firing' of the unarmed Indian supersonic missile that had entered Pakistan's territory on 9 March in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday, 15 March.
An unarmed Indian supersonic missile had entered Pakistan's territory on 9 March, causing damage to the country's civilian property. The object had later hit a private cold storage property near Mian Channu city in the Punjab province. The accident, however, did not lead to any loss of life.
The minister indicated that during routine maintenance, a missile was inadvertently fired that landed in Pakistan, and asserted that a high-level inquiry is on in the matter.
"We attach highest priority to safety and security of our weapon systems. If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified," he stated.
He further said, "I'd like to assure the House that our missile system is highly reliable and safe. Our safety procedure and protocols are high level."
Meanwhile, the United States on Monday said that there was no indication that the recent firing of a missile from India, which landed in Pakistan, was "anything other than an accident."
"We have no indication as you also heard from our Indian partners that this incident was anything other than an accident," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday.
On 11 March, India's Defence Ministry had claimed that the missile was "accidentally fired" after a technical malfunction during routine maintenance.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)