President Droupadi Murmu on Monday undertook a landmark submarine sortie aboard INS Vaghsheer, an indigenous Kalvari-class submarine of the Indian Navy, from the Karwar Naval Base on India’s western seaboard. The mission offered the President a rare, firsthand experience of India’s underwater combat capabilities.
This marked President Murmu’s first-ever submarine voyage and made her only the second President of India to embark on such a mission. The first was former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, who undertook a submarine sortie in 2006.
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Confirming the development, Rashtrapati Bhavan shared details on social media, stating, “President Droupadi Murmu embarked the Indian Navy’s indigenous Kalvari class submarine INS Vaghsheer at Karwar Naval Base, Karnataka. The President is undertaking a sortie on the Western Seaboard. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi is accompanying the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.”
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Ahead of the sortie, President Murmu, who serves as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, donned a naval uniform and was accorded a ceremonial welcome by naval personnel before boarding the submarine. Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi accompanied her throughout the mission, underscoring the strategic importance of the visit.
INS Vaghsheer is the sixth and final submarine under India’s Project-75 Scorpene programme and was commissioned earlier this year. Built with advanced stealth and combat capabilities, the submarine is designed for a wide range of operations, including anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare, intelligence gathering, and maritime surveillance.
The President’s sortie is being seen as a symbolic reaffirmation of India’s growing indigenous defence capabilities and its focus on strengthening maritime security in the Indian Ocean region.
