Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said today that the government has taken a "serious note" of the recent incident relating to inadvertent release of a missile into Pakistani territory during inspection.

The incident took place on March 9 when, during routine maintenance and inspection, a missile was accidentally released at around 7 PM.

Briefing the both Houses of Parliament about the incident, the Defence Minister said that it was later learnt that the missile had landed inside the territory of Pakistan. The government said that, while the incident is regretted, it is relieved that nobody was hurt due to the accident.

"I would like to inform the august House that the government has taken serious note of the incident.  A formal high-level inquiry has been ordered. The inquiry would determine the exact cause of the said accident," said Singh while reading out a statement, first in Rajya Sabha and later in the lower house of Parliament.

"We attach highest priority to safety and security of our weapon systems.  If any shortcoming is found, the same would be immediately rectified," he added. 

Making a statement in Lok Sabha. https://t.co/Sul2X6V9ON

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) March 15, 2022

The Defence Minister informed that a "review of the Standard Operating Procedures for operations, maintenance and inspections" is being conducted in the wake of the incident.

"I can assure the House that the missile system is very reliable and safe. Moreover, our safety procedures and protocols are of the highest order and are reviewed from time to time. Our Armed Forces are well-trained and disciplined and are well experienced in handling such systems," he assured.

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