Vishnu Bhagwat,
PVSM
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
,
AVSM
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime Dis ...
is a former
Chief of the Naval Staff of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
He is the first and only Chief of Naval Staff who was relieved from office while still serving and stripped of Admiral rank as punitive measure.
Career and Achievements
He went to School at
The Lawrence School, Sanawar
The Lawrence School, Sanawar, is the oldest Co-Ed boarding school in the world near Solan city. Established in 1847, its history, influence, and wealth have made it one of the most prestigious and oldest schools in Asia.
It is located in the ...
on a Govt. of India scholarship for talented children. Vishnu Bhagwat was commissioned into the
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy. As a blue-water navy, it operates si ...
on 1 January 1960. A graduate of the
National Defence Academy
The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...
, he was awarded the Telescope for the Best All-Round Cadet on the training ship, and the Sword of Honour for the Best All-Round Midshipman of the Fleet.
In his 36 years of service he had a vast and varied experience in combat operations, warship production, acquisition and acceptance, personnel management and command. He was actively associated with the 1961
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
Liberation Operations. He was promoted lieutenant-commander on 1 April 1970. During the
1971 Indo–Pak war his ship was in the escort groups for missile boats responsible for humbling the adversary. A Specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare, he was Flag Lt. to Chief of the Naval Staff in 1968–70 and Naval Assistant to Chief of the Naval Staff in 1986-87.
Bhagwat was promoted commander on 1 January 1976. He completed his first major command in INS ''Amini'' with the
Western Fleet
The Red Sea Fleet Command or officially Western Fleet (WF), also called ''" West Coast Fleet ",'' is a regional naval fleet and one of the two main formations of the Saudi Arabian Navy, with headquarters at Royal Naval Base at Jeddah, Western Pr ...
before being assigned as the Fleet Operations Officer of the same Fleet (1978–79). Promoted to captain on 1 January 1982, he commissioned the third
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
class guided missile destroyer (DDG), INS ''Ranjit'' in September 1983 and was in command for 2½ years during which the ship set new fleet standards/records in weapons, sensors and operations.
On promotion to Flag rank as rear admiral on 11 January 1988, he served as additional DG Defence Planning Staff, Chief of Staff of Western Naval Command and commanded the Eastern Fleet. He was promoted vice-admiral on 5 October 1992. He was Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff for two years at the Naval Headquarters. Prior to taking over as the Chief of the Naval staff on 1 October 1996, he was Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command.
In his appointments in Flag rank, Bhagwat made dedicated efforts to enhance self-reliance in defence production and development of indigenous skills and technological know-how. He played a key role in ushering the era of 'computerisation' in the Navy. He was inspired by the rigorous technological approach adopted by United States Navy Admiral Hyman Rickover "
Father of the Nuclear Navy
Hyman G. Rickover (January 27, 1900 – July 8, 1986) was an admiral in the U.S. Navy. He directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion and controlled its operations for three decades as director of the U.S. Naval Reactors offi ...
" and Soviet Admiral of the Fleet Sergey Georgiyevich Gorshkov. In an article authored in 2014 he cautioned that relying on an ad hoc decision making process, without a carefully considered overall perspective on the implications of FDI in armament technology, is not a substitute for building a comprehensive plan and robust policy for the country’s inclusive growth, development and security
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...
, Defence Services Staff College, Wellington,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
, National Defence College
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
, Bhagwat is a recipient of
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) in 1986 and was conferred the
Param Vishisht Seva Medal
Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) (IAST: ) is a military award of India. It was constituted in 1960 and since then it is awarded in recognition to peace-time service of the most exceptional order and may be awarded posthumously. All ranks of the ...
(PVSM) on 26 January 1996.
He is an author of a number of papers, articles and has written two well known books, namely An Eye Opening as I Sa
and Betrayal of the Armed Forces - The Inside Trut
Dismissal
Vishnu Bhagwat was appointed as chief of naval staff on 30 September 1996 and was relieved from office on 30 December 1998 under Article 310 of the
Constitution of India
The Constitution of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme law of India. The document lays down the framework that demarcates fundamental political code, structure, procedures, powers, and duties of government institutions and sets out fundamental ...
. The unprecedented and much publicised row between the government and the admiral began after the Cabinet appointments committee appointed Vice-Admiral Harinder Singh as deputy chief of the naval staff. Refusing to accept the Cabinet order, Admiral Bhagwat went public with his opposition to the government's decision. The government said that a series of actions from
Admiral
Bhagwat "were in deliberate defiance of the government." The
Supreme Court of India later dismissed a petition by the former Navy chief challenging the Government’s decision to dismiss him from service and the punitive measure to strip him of the title of Admiral
Other controversies
After Bhagwat's dismissal, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader J Jayalalitha, who had offered support to the ruling BJP-led coalition government at the centre, demanded that the former naval chief should be reinstated; Defence Minister George Fernandes should quit or be relieved of his portfolio; and a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe should be ordered. The government rejected her demands. J Jayalalitha met President K R Narayanan on 12 April 1999 and withdrew the 18-MP support to the Bharatiya Janata Party led coalition government
In 2003, Bhagwat reportedly questioned installation of
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, Veer Sarvarkar's portrait in the Central Hall of
Parliament of India
The Parliament of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme legislative body of the Republic of India. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the president of India and two houses: the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lok Sabha (House of the ...
. This invited the ire of the
Shiv Sena, a political party of India
Awards and decorations
Further reading
* "An Admiral's Fall" by Wilson John
* "Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat Sacked or Sunk" by Brig R P Singh and Commodore Ranjit Rai.
References
External links
Mr Mutinous
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhagwat, Vishnu
Chiefs of the Naval Staff (India)
Deputy Chiefs of Naval Staff (India)
Flag Officers Commanding Eastern Fleet
Living people
Indian Navy admirals
Lawrence School, Sanawar alumni
Recipients of the Param Vishisht Seva Medal
1944 births
National Defence College, India alumni