Suresh Mehta, earlier in Goa and the Chief of Navy Staff, is also a son-in-law of Goa. Check this, where he's in the news, raking up some controversy, and also giving it hard back to journos. Check the different way in which papers like the we-are-not-wrong Indian Express reports, and the tone of the more reverential The Hindu (otherwise a good paper):
UPI: Indian naval chief: No actionable warning http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2008/12/02/Indian_naval_chief_No_actionable_warning/UPI-45331228276577/ INDIAN EXPRESS: Navy chief's latest: I don't talk to fools http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Navy-chief-s-latest--I-don-t-talk-to-fools/394415 INDIAN EXPRESS: No, not me http://www.indianexpress.com/news/No--not-me/394023 PTI: Intelligence agencies fell for terrorists' deception: Coast Guard http://www.ptinews.com/pti\ptisite.nsf/0/F3C791EBE568871A6525751500229D62?OpenDocument ECONOMIC TIMES: Coast Guard let off Kuber after terrorists gave fake I-cards http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/News/PoliticsNation/Coast_Guard_let_off_Kuber_after_terrorists_gave_fake_I-cards/articleshow/3786023.cms INDIAN EXPRESS: Navy Chief fumes at media, gets facts wrong http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Navy-Chief-fumes-at-media--gets-facts-wrong/393869 INDIAN EXPRESS: Navy chief upset with electronic media http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Navy-Chief-fumes-at-media--gets-facts-wrong/393869 THE HINDU: Systemic failure: Navy Chief http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/03/stories/2008120355221000.htm VOANEWS: Indian Maritime Forces Rebuff Criticism in Wake of Mumbai Attack http://voanews.com/english/2008-12-02-voa16.cfm PTI: Navy within law to sink pirated ship: Mehta http://www.ptinews.com/pti\ptisite.nsf/0/900D5013CC4E00EB65257513004962F4?OpenDocument INDIAN EXPRESS: Antony pulls up Navy Chief, asks to explain security lapse http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Antony-pulls-up-Navy-Chief--asks-to-explain-security-lapse/392984 INDIAN EXPRESS: Sideshow: Navy, Army publicity hunt http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sideshow-navy-army-publicity-hunt/392034/ SOME HIGHLIGHTS (Express' view): A day after he lashed out at the media at the annual Navy briefing, calling it a 'disabling factor' and accusing a leading television channel of causing casualties during the Kargil war, Admiral Sureesh Mehta once again showed his disdain for the media at the Navy Day ceremony. The Admiral when approached by mediapersons after the ceremony said "I don't talk to fools" and left the venue.The latest comments come after the Admiral came under criticism from various quarters within the Defence Ministry for his remarks at the press conference where he even told reporters that he would have "chopped their heads off" for an alleged breach of privilege. Senior Defence Ministry officials described the Admiral's comments as 'unfortunate' and 'uncalled for'. "Such ranting is uncalled for. He should have exercised restraint. There are other ways of tackling the situation," a senior official said. Meanwhile, NDTV has demanded a public apology from the Navy chief for his charge that the death of three jawans during the Kargil conflict was caused due to coverage by the channel. The Navy is believed to have replied that the comments were made on the basis of a story on a little known TV channel and an internet blog. CHECK BARKHA DUTT'S RESPONSE to criticism on Facebook and Orkut: Finally, I would like to point out that the Navy Chief made a factually incorrect and wholly untrue comment on NDTV's coverage during the Kargil conflict of 1999, claiming that NDTV asked for a gun to be triggered for the benefit of the camera. I want to state for the record: no such incident ever took place and we have an official aknowledgment of that, including from then Army Chief, V.P Malik. I would urge Admiral Mehta to read General V.P Malik's book on Kargil for further clarity. General Malik was the Army Chief during the operations and puts to rest any such controversy in his book. In a formal letter, NDTV has also asked for an immediate retraction from the Navy and officially complained that the comments amount to defamation. Several writers have already pointed out how the Navy Chief has got his facts wrong. (DNA, Indian Express, Vir Sanghvi in The Hindustan Times, Sankarshan Thakur in The Telegraph). This, incidentally, was the same press conference where the Admiral threatened literally to "chop the heads off" of two other reporters who aired his interview ahead of schedule. http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/mumbaiterrorstrike/Story.aspx?ID=COLEN20080075194&type=opinion -- FN * Independent Journalist http://fn.goa-india.org M: +91-9822122436 P: +91-832-2409490