The accidental firing of a BrahMos missile from Indian territory, that landed in Pakistan in March, was not cause for any specific concern, the chief of the international nuclear watchdog told The Indian Express on Monday.
Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that the organisation did not seek any information from the Indian government on the matter. He also said that the misfiring did not raise any doubts about the safety of nuclear material in India.
“We are constantly looking at all the situations around the world and of course we look with interest when a very important member state of the IAEA has issues,” Grossi told The Indian Express in an interview. “But it [the BrahMos incident] was never an issue of any specific concern for us.”
On March 9, Islamabad had said that a high-speed Indian projectile had entered its airspace and crashed near Mian Channu city in Khanewal district, damaging some civilian property.
India’s defence ministry had described the incident as “deeply regrettable” and said that the accidental firing took place due to a “technical malfunction” during a routine maintenance operation.
In August, the ministry terminated the services of three Indian Air Force officials held responsible for the accidental firing. Pakistan, however, had said that it “rejects India’s purported closure” of the incident, and called for a joint investigation.
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