INS SINDHURAKSHAK EXPLODES & SINKS AT MUMBAI DOCK: 18 SAILORS DEAD
Series of Naval Mishaps Highlights Defense Ministry Apathy & Stalled Equipment Procurement
In the midnight hours of 14 August 2013, fully-armed Kilo-class submarine INS Sindhurakshak suffered catastrophic explosions in its forward torpedo compartment and sank at the Mumbai naval dockyard.
All 18 personnel on board were killed. The disaster was part of a string of 15+ naval accidents within 10 months, culminating in Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi resigning in protest against the Defense Ministry's red tape and refusal to approve critical maintenance and batteries.
Defense Minister A.K. Antonyβs policy paralysis had frozen critical defense procurements, leaving the armed forces operating with aging, hazardous equipment.
π Key Figures & Decision Makers
- βΈ A.K. Antony (Defense Minister)
- βΈ Admiral D.K. Joshi (Navy Chief who later resigned)
- β’ Board of Inquiry Report on INS Sindhurakshak Explosion (Indian Navy & Ministry of Defense, 2014)