New Delhi : The army chief, General Dalbir Singh on Wednesday defended martyred National Security Guard officer, Lieutenant Colonel E.K. Niranjan, saying he followed all safety procedures while defusing a bomb at the IAF base in Pathankot in Punjab.
Bomb disposal expert Niranjan died when an explosive planted on the body of one of the terrorists shot dead in the counter-offensive at the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot went off.
The army chief’s statement came in the wake of a media report that accused the martyred officer of carelessness in handling the situation.
“I checked with the army commander… he also checked on ground… all procedures were followed by him… So whatever is the laid down method, he followed. It is very difficult today for you and me to decide and say where things have gone wrong,” General Singh said.
“Probably some booby trap, which he did not expect on the body, was there and despite having followed the brief, unfortunately this has happened… Otherwise, I would say this officer was the most qualified officer to handle that kind of situation,” he said, reports IANS.
The army chief said the officer was experienced and the best person to handle the situation, but he fell pray to a booby trap.
“I must tell you, the officer had handled 3,500-4,500 kg of explosive in a year. There was no one, I think, better than him to handle this kind of situation,” General Singh said. “The casualties that took place (of the terrorists), it was immediately after that… It was around the time the darkness was setting in,” he said talking about the timing of the incident.
The general said he had instructed the WEestern Army Command chief that such dead bodies should not be handled after dark. The January 2 terrorist attack on the Indian Air Force base at Pathankot in Punjab left seven security personnel dead.