Only spoke to my wife before stepping down: Admiral DK Joshi

Former navy chief Admiral DK Joshi on Thursday wrote to his colleagues that he consulted his wife before taking the decision to step down and was firm about taking the responsibility for the recent accidents after the mishap involving INS Sindhuratna.

Former navy chief Admiral DK Joshi on Thursday wrote to his colleagues that he consulted his wife before taking the decision to step down and was firm about taking the responsibility for the recent accidents after the mishap involving INS Sindhuratna.

The internal message to senior naval officers came a day after Joshi stepped down as navy chief accepting moral responsibility for the accidents, 12 hours after seven sailors suffered serious injuries and two officers remained “unaccounted for” in an accident on board the Russian-built submarine. The officers were found dead in a compartment on Thursday.

“I consulted only myself and my wife before taking the decision to resign. After the submarine mishap, I was firm that I should take the responsibility for it,” he wrote. Joshi’s 18-month tenure as navy chief was marred by a series of mishaps and strained his ties with the government.

Asked to comment on the resignation, defence minister AK Antony on Thursday said Joshi was disturbed by the chain of events and had requested him to accept his resignation with immediate effect. “He is a fine human being and a very good admiral,” Antony said, adding he was sad about the developments.