PM condoles demise of former Navy chief Sushil Kumar

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled on Wednesday the death of former Navy chief Admiral Sushil Kumar (retd), saying he contributed towards strengthening the maritime security of the country.

Admiral Kumar (retd) died at a military hospital here on Wednesday morning at the age of 79 following a brief illness. He was the Navy Chief from 1998-2001.

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"Admiral Sushil Kumar will be remembered for his great service to the nation. He contributed to the strengthening of our maritime security. Anguished by his demise. May his soul rest in peace," the Prime Minister's Office tweeted quoting Modi.

Who was Sushil Kumar?

Admiral Sushil Kumar Isaac, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, NM was a Chief of Naval Staff in the Indian Navy. A native of Nagercoil, he ceased to use his surname of Isaacs because it caused confusion with his brother, who shares the same initials and is also a naval officer.

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Sushil Kumar assumed charge of the Indian Navy, as the 16th Chief of Naval Staff, on 30 December 1998. A specialist in hydrography and amphibious warfare, he is also a qualified air warfare instructor. He participated in the 1961 invasion of Goa and in both the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971.

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In 2015, Admiral Sushil kumar stated that Fear among Christians could percolate into the Armed Forces” and “Allowing [communal] virus to percolate into armed forces would be dangerous”.Many people considered this statement as high treason and especially disgraceful considering his Christian faith did not come in the way of his rise to the top post in navy after dismissal of a hindu officer Admiral Vishnu bhagwat.