Coast Guard Officer BK Loshali's written apology in connection with his controversial statement contradicting the government's stand on blowing up of a Pakistani boat on 31 December has been rejected by the Defence Ministry.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said his apology was unacceptable and that he would personally review the video of Loshali's remarks and "take action if needed", NDTV reports.
Loshali had contradicted the statement issued by the Defence Ministry on 1 January, in which it had mentioned that the Pakistani boat was interrupted by the Coast Guard as it was carrying explosives and had entered India through the coast of Gujarat to carry out an illegal activity. The statement also said the four people on board had set the boat on fire to avoid getting arrested. The boat eventually exploded and sank.
Meanwhile, Loshali said at a press conference that he had been misquoted and had no intention of opposing the government's statement.
The Coast Guard Officer had started the controversy by saying the Pakistani boat was blown off by the Indian Coast Guard.
"I hope you remember the 31st December night. We blew off the Pakistan... we blew them off," Loshali said earlier this week.
His statement hurtled the government in a controversy and it had to reiterate its stand on the incident. Parrikar clarified that the ministry remains unchanged on its 1 January statement.
