PUNE, Dec 1 : Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh Tripathi on Monday termed as “unfortunate” the mistreatment meted out to journalists at the National Defence Academy’s (NDA) 149th Passing Out Parade (POP) held here a day earlier.
The tone and language used by a few officers were inappropriate, the admiral acknowledged.
Journalists, attending the POP event on Sunday, protested the media seating arrangement claiming they had been placed far from the parade ground, which hampered coverage. A senior officer had allegedly told them to “walk out” if dissatisfied. Following an argument, journalists walked out of the event.
A group of mediapersons, including a representative of the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ), submitted a formal complaint to the Navy chief following his address at the General BC Joshi Memorial Lecture held at Savitribai Phule Pune University on Monday.
“I only came across the incident in today’s reports. It was an unfortunate incident. The tone and language used by a few officers were inappropriate,” the CNS said.
The Admiral said he has instructed the NDA Commandant to sort out the issue by holding discussions with journalists body. He instructed Defence PRO Ankush Chavan, who was also present, to facilitate the discussions.
“Officials will reach out to you in the coming days. Sit together, talk it out and resolve the matter permanently. We value our cordial relationship with the media,” said Admiral Tripathi, who had presided over Sunday’s NDA Passing Out Parade as Reviewing Officer.
As of Monday evening, the NDA had not issued an official statement on the controversy.
Meanwhile, PUWJ has escalated the matter to the senior leadership of defence and has also conveyed its concerns to the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Office, adding it had been receiving widespread solidarity and support on the issue. (PTI)
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