India’s navy chief, Admiral D.K. Joshi resigned as chief of the Indian
navy, owning “moral responsibility for the accidents and incidents
during the past few months”, the Defence Ministry said on 26-Feb-2014
Admiral Joshi is the first Indian military commander to have resigned
since General Kodandera Subayya Thimmaiah in 1959 -- and the only to
have his resignation accepted by the government.
The naval chief's resignation came hours after a fire on board the newly-refitted Sindhuratna
claimed the lives of two naval officers and injured seven -- the third
in a series of submarine accidents, including an explosion on the Sindhurakshak
which exploded and sank in Mumbai’s naval dockyard in August, 2013,
killing 18 crew. Last month, the Sindhughosh ran ground on its way to
Mumbai harbour, though without loss of life.