The tragedy that struck a Kilo-class submarine of the Indian Navy early on Wednesday snowballed into a national disaster by evening as Navy Chief Admiral D.K. Joshi's resignation was accepted by an apparently miffed Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
A spate of mishaps and accidents have plagued the Navy of late, and Antony's rather quick acceptance of Admiral Joshi's resignation was widely criticized, especially by serving and retired defence personnel.
The series of unfortunate events that culminated in the first-ever resignation of an Indian Navy Chief began unfolding about 100km off the Mumbai coast early on Wednesday, when a fire incident in the submerged INS Sindhuratna, a Russian-origin diesel-electric submarine commissioned in 1988, ended in the emergency airlift of seven affected sailors. Two officers were reported missing.
By evening, Admiral Devendra Kumar Joshi had written a terse no-nonsense resignation and walked across the South Block corridor from his office to the Raksha Mantri's.
Sources said the Admiral was visibly upset, and wanted to be relieved immediately.
One source said Antony, who was not happy with the Navy's recent accident track record and the "rigid" approach of the chief, did not spend much time in deciding the fate of the admiral, and accepted the resignation.
In his resignation letter, Admiral Joshi said that though the government continued to repose faith in his capabilities, it was becoming untenable for him to continue as head of the maritime force in terms of accountability.
"I have the honour to refer to recent incidents/accidents during the past few months that have impacted the professional image of the navy. While the government has continued to repose its fullest trust and confidence in the service, I consider my continuation as the chief of naval staff as untenable," he said in the resignation, adding that he accepts "fullest moral responsibility in the interests of accountability".
Joshi, who took over as Chief of Naval Staff in August 2012, was due to retire on August 31, 2015.
A government communiqué said that Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice-Admiral R.K. Dhowan will be discharging the duties of Officiating Chief of Naval Staff pending appointment of a regular chief.
The admiral's action evoked a massive response. Former Navy Chief Admiral Sureesh Mehta said that accidents are a way of life when it came to submarines and aircraft. "The chief is not responsible for them. There are other people who are directly involved in day to day activities," he said.
MAN OF HONOUR
Those who know Admiral Joshi well said his action was not surprising, though Antony's quick acceptance came as a shock.
"Not surprised to hear this as Admiral Joshi is a man of honour and is known for leading an austere life. If the government had slightest decency it would have turned down his resignation," said Rear Admiral (Retd.) Raja Menon.
A fire broke out in INS Sindhuratna on the morning of February 26
A senior serving officer said that it was a tragic day for the armed forces as the axe has fallen on the admiral who took responsibility for accidents. The same response is not expected from those in other spheres, including politicians, he said.
The Sindhuratna, which had recently been refitted after being in service for over two decades, was undergoing acceptance trials when smoke filled the third compartment that houses sailors, the vessel's galley and its battery pit.
The second submarine accident after the sinking of INS Sindhurakshak, another Kilo-class submarine that was rocked by explosions in August last year killing 18 personnel, jolted the naval establishment and the reverberations were felt right to the top.
As the details of INS Sindhuratna accident trickled in, it remained unclear if the smoke was triggered by an explosion or fire on-board. The third compartment was locked immediately and rescue operation commenced with the submarine surfacing immediately.
RESCUE
A Seaking helicopter and other warships in the area were sent for the rescue, said officials. The submarine was ventilated and brought back to Mumbai on its own power. The Navy said all the sailors who were hospitalised were out of danger. The Navy also clarified that there were no weapons aboard the Sindhuratna.
The Navy is yet to get to the bottom of the INS Sindhurakshak tragedy. The navy has only recently signed a Rs 240-crore contract with a US-based company for the salvage of the sunk vessel.
Why Antony should go
Following Admiral D.K. Joshi's resignation taking moral responsibility for the series of incidents involving the Navy, questions are doing the rounds that should the buck not stop with "Mr Clean", Defence Minister A.K. Antony?
Here we take a look at some of the controversies that have come to mark his tenure at the defence ministry.
Antony was cornered in Parliament over his inaction when he was told by the then Army Chief General V.K. Singh that he was offered bribe by a fellow general.
When the AgustaWestland scam hit the headlines, he deflected the kickback taint and refrained from taking moral responsibility.
Antony committed a faux pass in Parliament over the killing of Indian soldiers on the LoC. He said that militants dressed in Pakistan Army uniforms had crossed the LoC. He never owned up to delays in defence modernisation and indecision on key acquisition projects.
Daily Mail
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