FILE photo: Admiral DK Joshi, who resigned as Navy Chief in the wake of INS Sindhuratna submarine accident
Admiral DK Joshi, who stunned the country yesterday by resigning as Navy Chief taking moral responsibility over a series of accidents, has said that he had only consulted his wife on the decision.
"It was my decision alone. I only consulted my wife. I was firm that I must take responsibility for the incidents," Admiral Joshi told a gathering of the Navy's seniormost officers in Delhi.
His wife, he said, told him that he must go ahead if he was convinced. Admiral Joshi, who took over as Chief of Naval Staff in 2012, said he had tried unsuccessfully to change a growing perception that the Navy Headquarters and Command were unable to address the problem of accidents involving naval assets.
The Indian Navy has seen 10 accidents in the last seven months. Admiral Joshi discussed with the two-star and three-star officers he met, that while two of these had been major mishaps, the others were more minor incidents which could have happened anywhere in the world.
The 59-year-old resigned yesterday, hours after a fire was reported on the Navy submarine INS Sindhuratna, which was being sea-tested about 50 kilometres off the Mumbai shore. Two officers were killed and seven sailors were taken seriously ill.
In his resignation letter, Admiral Joshi had said though the government continued to repose faith in his capabilities, it was becoming untenable for him to continue as the head of the maritime force in terms of accountability.
His resignation was promptly accepted by Defence Minister AK Antony, and Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral RK Dhowan was asked to take over as acting Chief till the next chief is appointed.
Admiral Joshi, who belongs to Uttarakhand, had 15 more months to go of his tenure as chief. He served in a variety of command, staff and instructional appointments during his 41-year career, including captaining the guided missile corvette INS Kuthar, the guided missile destroyer INS Ranvir and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat.