New Delhi: Was INS Arihant, India’s indigenously-produced nuclear-powered ballistic submarine, damaged and left ‘crippled’ after an accident last year? The information can’t be divulged in the interest of national security, the Ministry of Defence told the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
PV Midhun Reddy, YSR Congress MP from Rajampet in Andhra Pradesh, asked the government whether "INS Arihant has suffered major damages; if so, the details thereof; whether the indigenous nuclear submarine has not been able to sail for the last several months now; and if so, the details thereof?"
Minister of State (MoS) for Defence, Subhash Bhamre, in his response, said, “The information cannot be divulged on the floor of the House in the interest of National Security.”
This comes amidst media reports that claimed that INS Arihant was damaged in an accident sometime in 2017 and, therefore, was left “crippled”. The submarine, the report said, had not been able to sail for ten months. The accident reportedly occurred when water had rushed into the propulsion compartment of the submarine and left it damaged. The report cited “sources” to say that the accident had been caused due to “human error”.
INS Arihant was launched for sea trials in 2009 by then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in August 2016. INS Arihant completed India’s ‘Nuclear Triad’, which gives India to launch nuclear warheads from the air, land and sea.
It also boost India’s second-strike capability. The “accident” took place less than a year after the submarine was commissioned. If the reports are to be believed, this would come as a major setback to India’s ambitious plan to have an entire fleet of nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines.
Comments
0 comment