Unabashed by the unexpected power outage on Wednesday that disrupted for 25 minutes the pre-World Cup football match between India and Japan at Salt Lake stadium, the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government on Thursday refused to acknowledge that the blackout was in any way a blot on the image of West Bengal.

After ordering a probe into the incident, chief minister Bhattacharjee said his government would forward a report on the incident to the game?s national and international bodies.

Both Bhattacharjee and sports minister Subhas Chakraborty refused to believe that the blackout had lowered the image of the state in the eyes of the world community.

?Our sense of dignity and pride is not so fragile,? said Bhattacharjee, when asked whether the government was embarrassed over the incident. ?I have sought a report from the power department. It will be forwarded to Priya Ranjan Das Munshi,? he said.

Das Munshi, who is president of the All India Football Federation, had termed the incident ?the great Bengal flop show? on Wednesday evening.

He said he would bring the incident to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh?s attention, seeking an inquiry into it.

The chief minister on Thursday said he would fax the report to Das Munshi on Friday as soon as he got it. ?We need to place something before the international community (by way of explanation) about the incident,? Bhattacharjee said.

Sports minister Subhas Chakraborty, who faced a barrage of questions about the match interruption on Thursday, termed it a ?terrible accident?. Ruling out sabotage or foul play, Chakraborty said it was a genuine accident.

?I spoke to the State Electricity Board chairman within five minutes of the blackout. The Board officials took immediate steps to normalise supply,? Chakraborty said, adding that power supply was switched off in many places in Salt Lake to make up for the shortfall in the stadium.

?I am sorry for the incident, but I don?t blame anyone for it,? he stated, adding that the incident was in no way ?a maintenance problem?.

Asked how such an incident could occur during an international match, Chakraborty shot back: ?Accidents don?t happen with prior notice. This has nothing to do with the game. It could happen on any occasion.? Ruling out sabotage, power minister Mrinal Banerjee, too, termed it an accident.