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Navigator may be blamed for IAF plane crossing LoC

Josy Joseph in New Delhi

The bizarre case of Pakistani forces firing at an Antonov 32 plane flown by the commander-in-chief of the Western Air Command over the Kargil sector on February 19 is getting murkier, as a court of inquiry veers around to laying the blame at the door of the plane's young navigator.

The preliminary conclusions of the court of inquiry leave several questions unanswered, including about intelligence in and around Kargil, where an intelligence blunder led to hundreds of Pakistani troops occupying strategic heights and a bitter battle in the summer of 1999, which cost the lives of some 550 Indian soldiers.

The February 19 incident has also raised new concerns about fatal flaws in the technology of the An-32's protective gear. The plane did not even have a flame-thrower to divert the incoming missile, according to Indian Air Force officers.

According to the officers, the court of inquiry has placed primary responsibility for the plane straying into enemy territory on the navigator, an officer with hardly six years' experience.

It is believed that the court of inquiry has also pointed out discrepancies between the Line of Control on the map and the actual position on the ground. But there is no independent confirmation of this as yet.

If the report about discrepancies in the LoC is true, the ghost of Kargil will return to haunt the government. Allegations by opposition parties that the government hastily ended the conflict under pressure from the United States may then gain more credibility.

The An-32, an aircraft in which the navigator has a key role to play, was being piloted by Air Marshal V K Bhatia, a highly decorated officer who has flown all kinds of aircraft, when it was hit by a surface-to-air heat-seeking missile on February 19.

IAF officers who spoke to rediff.com said it was a Pakistani Anza missile that hit and damaged the aircraft. But a controversy has been created by some media reports that the air force believes it was "friendly fire" from Indian troops on the ground that damaged the plane.

This claim is, however, unconvincing because it is not very difficult to identify an An-32 from the ground. Moreover, Air Marshal Bhatia arrived at Kargil to a ceremonial welcome with none other than Lieutenant General Arjun Ray, commander of the Leh-based 14 Corps, in attendance.

Gen Ray, who is retiring early at his own request, has reacted strongly to the media reports of friendly fire. He termed them lies, asserting, "It is atrocious to even think that our own troops fired upon the air marshal's aircraft. It just goes to show that to hide one lie, one has to tell a hundred more lies."

Major General R B Singh, who is currently with the Eastern Command and is being promoted to lieutenant general, will replace General Ray.

In a statement on Monday, the IAF spokesman said, "There is no evidence whatsoever, attributing the incident, directly or indirectly, to ground fire by the Indian Army. The Indian Army is assisting the IAF in every possible way at the investigations to establish all facts relating to the incident."

Some of the questions that defence sources say will need answering now are:

• Was Air Marshal Bhatia flying purely on the navigator's guidance? Or is the navigator being crucified for mistakes beyond his authority and reach, to protect seniors in the IAF and the army?
• Wasn't Air Marshal Bhatia aware of the possibilities at Kargil, the dangers of straying a few hundred metres away from the flight path?
• Were there clear intelligence inputs about Pakistani gun positions? Did the air force take into account the threat from these positions while extending the airstrip at Kargil?
• Did the army local units, primarily responsible for intelligence gathering on the ground, fail yet again?

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