NEW DELHI: In an unprecedented step, Navy chief Admiral
Devender Kumar Joshi resigned on Wednesday, owning "moral
responsibility" for warship and submarine accidents over the last six
months, including the latest mishap on board submarine INS Sindhuratna off
Mumbai.
The incident involving INS Sindhuratna that left two
officers feared dead and seven sailors injured on Wednesday proved to be the
final trigger for Admiral Joshi's shock resignation. Equally stunning for the
armed forces was its quick acceptance.
Admiral Joshi, in his resignation letter, said though the
government had reposed faith in his capabilities, it had become untenable for
him to continue as Navy chief in terms of accountability.
His image as a "no-nonsense, if slightly impulsive
guy" was well known in the corridors of South Block, but what raised
eyebrows all around was the resignation's prompt acceptance by the UPA
government, leading to suggestions that he had "received a nudge or
two" from the defence ministry to put in his papers.
Though the Navy maintains that only four of the so-called
dozen accidents were serious enough to merit attention, Admiral Joshi had run
into rough weather with the media as well as the political authority.
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