how to visit ins vikrant museum

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Mumbai City and Travel Guide

INS Vikrant and INS Viraat Ship Museum – Mumbai

INS Viraat (not Vikrant) as Tourist Attraction of Konkan

Updates (February 2019):

Since we are talking about the war ships, A small piece of information and updates about INS Viraat, Another giant vessel which will get new lease of life. Lying at Naval Dockyard of Mumbai (Colaba), INS Viraat will be soon ready for renovation and once done, will be shifted to Nivati beach located at Sindhudurg (Kokan).

The idea is to retain the prestige of such respected vessel by retaining the exteriors and renovating the interiors which gives a fresh new life and a great tourist experience to people in Konkan, Mumbai and others around India who can visit the vessel after being ready for hospitality and tourist attraction .

INS Vikrant was planned as one of such museums, But due to lack of fund and possibly other related, It took its last breath in the sea of Mumbai and was scrapped with no existence today. MMB (Mumbai Maritime Board) has finally planned and confirmed that the giant Viraat will be converted to a brand new 5 star hotel and will have much more like a museum and a marine adventure centre too.

More to the addition as a tourist attraction, apart from the Naval museum, there will be a helipad , restaurants, rooms in all category from budget to luxury, swimming pools, Halls for meeting and conferences, aquarium and more. About INS Vikrant Ship

INS Vikrant is a historic and huge aircraft carrier ship, now docked at naval dockyard Museum Apollo Bunder at Colaba (South Mumbai). This ship, famously known as a vessel of 1971’s Indo-Pak war was purchased for Indian Navy from Great Britain 10 years before the war begin. A piece of luck for Mumbai tourists and locals open for exhibition and as one of the giant tourist attraction of Mumbai is now at this ship Museum at one of the oldest docks in world since 1736, which is now a premier ship repair yard with state of art machinery used for repair and maintenance of huge ship and submarines. More about INS Vikrant here .

Attractions Of Ship Museum Of Mumbai

• The feeling of the breath taking huge massive ships length and width that holds so many things on it, including navy charters and helicopters.
• A complete layout of India Pakistan’s year 1971 war, Basically the pictorial representation of 1971’s massive war.
• One annual festival month and special navy week days (and some Sundays) if lucky enough you can see the old time documentary film on INS and how this ship was used in real time.
• Those little shops selling articles like coffee mugs, key chains and INS logo hats are cool attractions and fun for those likely to spend Rs.20 to 60 for same.
• Navy operation pictures of black and white era including details on the way Air operation was carried out.
• Museum also displays the details of the old steam turbines which Mumbai people will hardly get any chance to see anywhere, but Colaba.
• It also have snack and eat corner serving basic snacks tea, coffee etc.
• The giant hangers that can carrying thousands of people at a time and those arresting gears mechanical systems that slow downs the landing aircraft on this ship deck.
• Visit the flight deck section and you will see the rare old yet huge looking helicopters and fighter planes with sea hawk which were once the best known fighting aircraft’s in Indian navy history.
• The huge INS vikrant also displays the articles used during war and some of them not to be missed are the Bombs, varieties of missiles, water diving suits and other equipments, the classic model of submarine and more.

Who Can Visit During Vikrant Festival

The Navel festival (Also Called ‘Vikrant Ship Expo’) is a 9 Days long festival where one can promote their brands inside Exhibition spread across 4000 square meters, Approved and authorized / supported by Western Naval Command and Naval Dockyard of Mumbai. During 2011 festival, above 1 lakh visitors came from all over Mumbai and beyond. According to their website, People who can visit the Museum during the festival days are general Public, Invitees, Family of Naval Officers, The Family members of Dockyard Staff and vendors. We will try getting the schedule for 2012 and 2013 soon.

Museum Entry Charges

Adults : The ticket rates (in rupees) or the one time entry charges is Rs.40 for individual. Children : If the kid is under age 14 the charges are half which is Rs.20, Not sure yet their might be discounts for school students visiting this navy museum as picnic and information trial. Camera Allowed : Yes, with extra charges.

Timings and Contact Details

Ship Timings For Public : The museum can be accessed by Mumbai people and for tourist attractions in ending weeks of November and December every year. Another timings for SUNDAYS being (10:00 AM to 05:30 PM). Contact : Contact the Dockyard Museum on +91-22-22752162, if you want to visit on other days or need a special visit permissions. Parking Space Available : Yes

Museum Address

Below is the address with map and guide on how to reach naval dockyard if you are coming from far suburb or outside Mumbai.

INS Vikrant Museum Off Shahid Bhagat Singh Marg, Naval Dockyard, Tiger gate, Near Gateway Of India (Apollo Bunder), Colaba, Pincode : 400001 Land mark and Nearest Station : Churchgate Railway Station ( Western Railway Route) & CST Railway Station ( Central Railway )

Ship Dismantling Around August 2014, Supreme court finally ordered the end of countries first aircraft which was converted to a beautiful Museum after 1997 once ship was decommissioned. Yes, finally November of 2014 is seeing the Giant ship getting dismantled by around 200 odd workers which will take next few months for Vikrant being Unseen forever. Personally myself along with other Mumbaikars feel sad that the only icon winner vessel of 1971 war was declared ‘inability to maintain’ by our state government. So in future, people will mentioned it as ‘Once Upon a Time’ we visited this huge ship personally and during those days people will once be able to see the artefacts remains which have currently been moved to Museums like Maritime History Society of Mumbai and also at Goa’s famous Naval Aviation museum and others.

Deven Jadav

View all posts by Deven Jadav

Greetings, I am Deven, the founder of Mumbai77. With immense passion, I have dedicated my full-time efforts to continuously learn and update important information about Mumbai city. Currently, I am a full-time blogger residing in Mumbai. Since its establishment on July 7, 2007, Mumbai77 has attracted millions of pageviews. Our website aims to provide valuable information, including my personal reviews and experiences, to assist individuals worldwide in their search for updated information about Mumbai city.

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Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Ticket Price, Hours, Address and Reviews

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Indian Museum Ship Vikrant

• Address: Gateway of India, Mumbai, India (Gateway of India)
• Timings: 10:30 am - 09:00 pm Details
• Ticket Price: 40 INR
• Time Required: 03:00 Hrs
• Tags: Museums , Military Museums, Family And Kids , Specialty Museums

Also known as Vikrant, The Indian Museum Ship is a unique attraction in Mumbai shores for decades. The Indian Navy operated the Indian Museum Ship which can harbour the aircrafts. It has experienced many international wars including the Indo Pakistan war in 1971. From the Gateway of India, one can hire boats to the Museum Ship after buying the tickets from the Gate itself.  The ship has lots of antique items used during the time of various battles. People can see many arms and ammunitions Indian Army uses in war inside the war ship. Indian army bought it from the British after the Second World War. It has the capacity to harbour more than 20 aircrafts during the time of war.

It is situated on the eastern shore of Mumbai. It had played a key role in enforcing the Pakistani troop to clear the naval blockade in the 1971 war against our immediate neighbour. The staffs of the ships demonstrate the various features of the ship to the people visiting it. But it is not always open to the public except some special occasions. Students across the country who want to be navy in the future must visit the ship for adequate information.

Entrance Ticket Details For Indian Museum Ship Vikrant

• If the kid is under age 14 the charges are half which is Rs.20.

Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Hours

• Ending weeks of November and December every year. Another timings for SUNDAYS being (10:00 AM to 05:30 PM).

How to Reach Indian Museum Ship Vikrant

• Gateway of India 
• Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Address: Gateway of India, Mumbai, India (Gateway of India)
• Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Timing: 10:30 am - 09:00 pm
• Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Price: 40 INR
• Best time to visit Indian Museum Ship Vikrant(preferred time): 11:00 am - 07:00 pm
• Time required to visit Indian Museum Ship Vikrant: 03:00 Hrs
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3.9% of people who visit Mumbai include Indian Museum Ship Vikrant in their plan

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54.55% of people start their Indian Museum Ship Vikrant visit around 10 AM - 11 AM

People usually take around 3 Hrs to see Indian Museum Ship Vikrant

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People normally club together Dhobi Ghat and Gateway Of India while planning their visit to Indian Museum Ship Vikrant.

Indian Museum Ship Vikrant Reviews & Ratings

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does Vikrant ship museum is open? please share their no also.

Vikrant , ship museum is open today, because today is Monday?

This museum is permanently closed. 

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INS Vikrant Ship Naval Dockyard Museum , Mumbai

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About INS Vikrant Ship Naval Dockyard Museum

INS Vikrant (formerly HMS Hercules), a vital warship of Indo-Pak battle in 1971, was a huge aircraft carrier. Indian Navy has bought the ship from Great Britain in 1957. Currently this ship museum is docked at naval dockyard in Southern Mumbai and has become a fascinating attraction for the tourists.  Naval Charters, Helicopters, black & white pictures of the navy operations, arms and weapons used in the Indo-Pak battle, water diving suits, classic sub marine models, etc. are a few of the must-not-miss exhibits of this museum. Also every year during navy week days, documentary related to the battle and real time usages of the ship are played for the visitors. There is also asnack corner and a souvenir shop on the ship museum.

Update: The Ship has now been dismantled and the museum is no more there!

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Museum Ship Vikrant

INS Vikrant was a Majestic-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. The ship was laid down as HMS Hercules for the British Royal Navy during World War II, but construction was put on hold when the war ended. India purchased the incomplete carrier in 1957, and construction was completed in 1961. Vikrant was commissioned as the first aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy and played a key role in enforcing the naval blockade of East Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In its later years, the ship underwent major refits to embark modern aircraft, before being decommissioned in January 1997. She was preserved as a museum ship in Cuffe Parade, Mumbai until 2012. In January 2014, the ship was sold through an online auction and scrapped in November 2014 after final clearance from the Supreme Court.

More information and contact

Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Vikrant_(R11)

Address India

Coordinates 18°55'52.157" N 72°50'32.365" E

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INS Vikrant: The Little-Known Story of an Indian Braveheart

• AUTHOR Sushmito Lahiry
• PUBLISHED 25 June 2022

In August this year, a phoenix will rise for the Indian Navy, when it commissions the country’s first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC - 1). The warship will be sailing in the wake of a much-loved braveheart, after whom it has been named – the INS Vikrant.

The new aircraft carrier is carrying forward a glorious legacy, as the Vikrant played a stellar role in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971. What made her contribution so special is her participation against massive odds.

She was in very poor shape when the war loomed and the seaworthiness of the ageing ship was in question. But a handful of naval officers plumped for the Vikrant, believing she could help win the war against Pakistan. The aircraft carrier, India’s first, did her country proud and ended up as one of the most famous Indian warships of all time.

The INS Vikrant began her journey as the HMS Hercules, an aircraft carrier in the (British) Royal Navy in 1943, during the Second World War. But the war ended before she was completed and, in May 1946, work on the ship was suspended. Only 75 percent complete, she was docked in Scotland for the next 10 years.

After the war, the navies of nations like the United States and the United Kingdom wanted to sell the ships they no longer needed and the Indian government bought the HMS Hercules in 1957. The Hercules was towed to Belfast, Ireland, where her construction was completed and modifications made according to the requirements of the Indian Navy.

Incidentally, this was done at the Harland & Wolff shipyard, the same shipyard where the RMS Titanic was built in 1912! As part of her modifications, an angled deck, steam catapults and a new ‘island’ (the command centre for flight operations) were added to the ship.

From Hercules to Vikrant

The HMS Hercules became the INS Vikrant when it was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 4th March 1961 in Belfast, by Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit, Indian High Commissioner to the UK. The name ‘Vikrant’ was derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Vikranta’, meaning ‘very powerful’ or ‘brave’. The ship formally joined the Indian Navy in the Bombay harbour on 3rd November 1961, and was received by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, at Ballard Pier.

Vikrant was now more than 20 years old and unfit to take part in the India-Pakistan War of 1965. She was kept in dry dock in the Bombay harbour, while she was refitted.

Even though the ship was ageing, the Vikrant was India’s first-ever aircraft carrier and a matter of pride for the Indian Navy. So, when war was imminent again, this time between India and Pakistan over the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, the Indian Navy was determined to make sure that the Vikrant played an active role in the fighting.

It was a tough call, for the warship was far from fit and she was docked at the Naval Dockyard in Bombay, yet again, in June 1970, for repairs. In his book Transition to Triumph: History of the Indian Navy - 1965-1975, Fleet Operations Officer Captain Gulab Mohanlal Hiranandani writes that the Vikrant had suffered many internal fatigue cracks and fissures in the water drums of her boilers and these couldn’t be repaired by welding.

Overcoming Challenges

The old warship was more than 25 years old by now and the only way to get around the challenges posed by her condition was to run the ship well below her designed capability, at 14 knots (26 kmph), half her designed maximum speed of 25 knots (45 kmph).

In spite of the doubts in the Naval Headquarters about the ship’s seaworthiness, there were those who were plumping for her. Captain Hiranandani would later recall telling the Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sardarilal Mathradas Nanda: “During the 1965 war, Vikrant was sitting in Bombay Harbour and did not go out to sea. If the same thing happened in 1971, Vikrant would be called a white elephant and naval aviation would be written off. Vikrant had to be seen being operational even if we didn’t fly any aircraft.” It was Admiral Nanda, Vice-Admiral N Krishnan and Captain Hiranandani who were instrumental in taking Vikrant to war.

But it was the Vikrant’s commanding officer, Vice-Admiral Swaraj Parkash who got the crew of the Vikrant and the pilots of the air squadrons up to full combat capability. It wasn’t easy. There were only six available aircraft (Sea Hawks) when the pilots began their training in July 1971.

As this number increased to 18, the pilots and crew of the ship underwent intense combat training. When the training was complete, the Vikrant became the nucleus of the Eastern Fleet.

With war clouds looming, the fleet sailed to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on 13th November. But there was danger closer than the Navy had imagined. The Pakistani Navy had deployed a submarine, the PNS Ghazi, with the sole mission of sinking the Vikrant. Thankfully, the submarine itself sank off the coast of Visakhapatnam, under mysterious circumstances, on the night of 3rd December 1971.

Going in for the Kill

When hostilities broke out the next day, the Vikrant was deployed towards Chittagong. She was ordered to strike Chittagong and Cox's Bazar harbours. Due to other Indian fleet units being on a submarine search-and-attack mission and the fact that the Vikrant didn’t have any anti-submarine or anti-air protection, Vice-Admiral Parkash’s officers advised him against launching such a strike. But he wouldn’t have it. He argued: “Like bloody hell. I did not come to this point to turn back without attacking. Launch the strike!”

Rear Admiral Santosh Kumar Gupta (Retd) recalls that on 4th December, at around 3 pm, 6 Sea Hawks were launched from the Vikrant. They had to fly low, almost skimming the surface of the sea, to avoid being detected by enemy radar. They soon reached their target and attacked shipping in Chittagong and Cox's Bazar harbours, sinking or damaging most of the berthed ships, with their 500-pound bombs.

Among these were two gunboats and rivercraft, a warehouse and three merchant ships. The river ports of Khulna, Changla and Mongla were also severely damaged. These attacks were followed up by a strike on a large building in Chittagong city, which had been reported by intelligence to house several Pakistani military personnel who were attending a meeting.

The next target to be hit by airstrikes from the Vikrant was the cantonment area of Chittagong, on 14th December. Several Pakistani Army barracks were destroyed. Strikes conducted by Sea Hawks were accompanied by simultaneous attacks on Cox’s Bazar by Breguet Alize aircraft, also deployed by the Vikrant.

Rules to the Wind!

There was more drama to come. During an attack on the Chittagong airfield installation on 9th December, Lieutenant-Commander Santosh Kumar Gupta’s Sea Hawk was hit by ground fire while he was on a steep dive bombing run at 420 knots (770 kmph). He couldn’t release his 500-pound bomb on the target due to hydraulic failure, which also made his aircraft very difficult to manoeuvre. He had only one choice – eject from his aircraft over the sea, as landing on the warship with a bomb still attached to his aircraft would have violated safety rules.

However, taking a calculated risk, Captain Swaraj Parkash allowed him to land with an armed bomb. After completing the gruelling approach to the deck of the Vikrant, Gupta hit the deck safely, albeit in violation of all rules!

In just 10 days, over 300 strike sorties were flown by aircraft from the Vikrant. Around 8 Sea Hawks and Alizes were hit by ground fire but none was lost. The warship had exceeded expectations. She had proved instrumental in establishing total control in the Bay of Bengal, air superiority in East-Pakistani airspace, and also establishing a naval blockade to prevent supplies and trade coming in from West Pakistan.

The Pakistan armed forces in East-Pakistan were thus starved of war supplies and this contributed to their swift surrender on 16th December 1971, just 13 days after the war began.

Captain of the Vikrant, Vice-Admiral Swaraj Parkash and Lieutenant-Commander Santosh Kumar Gupta, (Commander of INAS 300), were both awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, while 12 crew members were awarded the Vir Chakra gallantry medal.

Despite numerous challenges that plagued the INS Vikrant, the warship played a vital role in winning the Bangladesh Liberation War against Pakistan. She didn’t see much service after that, though. The ageing aircraft carrier remained in service for another 26 years, till she was decommissioned on 31st January 1997.

The Vikrant was then converted into a museum ship and she remained berthed in Bombay harbour, open to the public to marvel at her glorious past. The only battle she ever lost was a court case to prevent her from being scrapped completely. Due to rising maintenance costs and her poor condition, which made her unsafe for the public, the Vikrant was finally scrapped in November 2014.

Vikrant's glorious legacy is carried forward by its new namesake – the IAC – 1. The old warhorse is not only an enduring symbol of courage but also a reminder of the tenacity and determination of the officers, crew and pilots who took her to the brink and back.

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INS Vikrant: The History and Time-Line of the Mighty War Ship

India has had a very rich and glorious maritime history. This richness comes not only because of the culture and tradition of the country but also because of its conflicted and diverse past. The country has been under the rule of many empires – the last one being the British Empire – before it gained its independence. And since the geographic location of the country such that it forms a huge marine channel, naval vessels have played a major role in glorifying in the military history of the country.

INS Vikrant is one such name that stands out when a list of the Indian naval ships are recounted.  Commissioned in the year 1961 as an aircraft carrier by Vijaylakshmi Pandit, the then High Commissioner, the name Vikrant stands for unassailability and bravery in Sanskrit.  

Pre & Post Indian Commissioning

Originally named as HMS Hercules, the vessel was built in the Vickers-Armstrong shipyard and launched as a part of Great Britain’s Majestic Class of vessels in the year 1945. However, even before she was brought into active operational duty, World War II came to an end and the ship was withdrawn from being used in active naval duty.

Subsequently, Hercules was sold to the Indian naval force in the year 1957. For four years till its formal launch as a part of the Indian naval force, the war ship was re-modified to suit the Indian requirements in the Irish Harland and Wolff shipyard.

The aircraft fleet of the INS ship consisted of three crafts – the Sea Hawk bomber jets of Great Britain and the French anti-submarine plane Alize. Because of this limited capacitance of fighter planes, the flight carrier was regarded as a light attack air fleet carrier.

War History

The initiation of the flight carrier in the Indian navy was not met with hearty favour all over. The Russian diplomats of that time raised queries about the Indian choice to opt for a British war ship while several senior Indian army men were sceptical of the performance of the vessel.

In the year 1961 according to reputed maritime history sources, the Pakistani navy made claims that they had destroyed the flight carrier. This was a rumour as at that time the vessel was not deployed in the active line of duty but was undergoing its regular maintenance work at the Mumbai (then Bombay) shipyard.

The true test of INS Vikrant however came during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. With seriously debilitating problems to one of her boilers, the INS ship had to function with limited speed that could have hamper that the actual potential of the vessel during the crucial time. However, these problems to the boilers notwithstanding, the aircraft vessel was successful in majorly helping the country to win the 1971 war in a thumping manner.

In the following years, the war vessel underwent major re-hauling with respect to its engines, boilers and other technical equipments. Its fleet of vessels also underwent a change with the Harriers becoming a part of its fleet and the Alize crafts becoming redundant. However towards the start of the late 21 st century (in 1997), the aircraft carrier because of its performance incapacity was withdrawn from active service duty.

Life After De-Commissioning 

INS Vikrant, even after her decommissioning has been a major source of attraction for enthusiasts from all over the country. Seeing its popularity, the Indian government raised a proposal to convert the ship into a drifting museum. At present, the INS ship is grounded near to the Mumbai landmark, the Gateway of India with her name rechristened to IMS Vikrant – where IMS refers to Indian Museum Ship.

Ship Specifications

• The Indian navy ship offered a speed of about 25 knots which was later on curtailed to about 12 knots due to the technical problems.
• The ship measured 192 metres lengthwise, 24.4 metres beam wise and 7.3 metres draft wise
• For its act of bravery in a time of extreme need and importance, the ship was awarded with Indian military medals of honour – the Mahavir Chakras (two) and the Vir Chakras (12).

Of all the Indian naval ships which have served the nation, no other war vessel has enjoyed a status that the INS vessel has enjoyed. For its esteemed past and the highlighting picture of history it portrays in the present time, the war vessel needs to be much appreciated.

References:  globalsecurity, themumbaiguide, bharat-rakshak, hindustantimes

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I pointed out that the name of ship is INS viraat, INS vikrant is luanched this year and will join Fleet in 2017.

vikranta is my friend like it always save and sine ————– because im in goa———-

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10 things you MUST know about INS Vikrant

PM Modi unveiled a plaque to mark the induction of INS Vikrant, named after its predecessor that played a crucial role in the 1971 Indo-Pak war

New Delhi : INS Vikrant showcases the ‘Aatmanirbhar’ credentials during ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and a true testament to the country’s zeal and fervour in pursuing capability build up towards enhanced maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

With the commissioning, India has entered into a select band of Nations having niche capability to indigenously design and build an Aircraft Carrier and real testimony to the Nation’s resolve for self-reliance and ‘Make in India’.

1. INS Vikrant has been built with state of the art automation features and is the largest ship ever built in the maritime history of India.

2. It is a ‘floating city’: It produces electricity that is sufficient to power 5000 households and the wiring used will reach Kashi from Kochi.

3. INS Vikrant is designed by Indian Navy’s in-house Warship Design Bureau (WDB) and built by Cochin Shipyard Limited, a Public Sector Shipyard under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways.

4. The 262.5 m long and 61.6 m wide Vikrant displaces approx 43,000 T, having a maximum designed speed of 28 Knots with endurance of 7,500 Nautical Miles.

5. The ship has around 2,200 compartments, designed for a crew of around 1,600 including women officers and sailors.

6. The ship is capable of operating air wing consisting of 30 aircraft comprising of MiG-29K fighter jets, Kamov-31, MH-60R multi-role helicopters, in addition to indigenously manufactured Advanced Light Helicopters (ALH) and Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) (Navy).

7. Using a novel aircraft-operation mode known as Short Take Off But Arrested Recovery (STOBAR), INS Vikrant is equipped with a ski-jump for launching aircraft, and a set of ‘arrester wires’ for their recovery onboard.

8. With 76% indigenous content, construction of INS Vikrant has resulted in direct employment generation for over 2,000 employees of CSL. In addition, it has resulted in indirect employment generation for approx 12,500 employees for over 550 OEMs, sub-contractors, ancillary industries and over 100 MSMEs as well, thereby bolstering plough back effect on economy.

9. India’s own steelmaking giant, Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), a Maharatna PSU. It has supplied the entire DMR grade ‘specialty steel’ for the nation’s first indigenously built Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant. The DMR plates of Grade 249 A were used for the hull and vessel interiors and Grade 249 B for the flight deck of this warship. The entire quantity of speciality steel, except for the bulb bars, has been supplied by SAIL’s integrated steel plants at Bhilai, Bokaro and Rourkela.

10. The steel installed in its airbase is also indigenous, developed by DRDO scientists and produced by Indian companies.

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Mumbai:  In 2013, Baban Bhosale, a former Army serviceman, was walking to Mumbai’s Churchgate station when he came across some people with donation boxes.

Kirit Somaiya, a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, and his son Neil were among them. They all wore T-shirts proclaiming ‘ Vikrant Vachwa ’ or ‘Save Vikrant ’—the Navy’s iconic aircraft carrier.

“With a feeling of patriotism in my heart, I put Rs 2,000 in the steel box,” Bhosale told ThePrint.

But in November 2014, INS Vikrant , which had played an important part in the 1971 India-Pakistan War, was reduced to scrap.

Bhosale wondered what had happened to his donation. In April 2022, he lodged a police complaint to get an answer to his questions. “I lodged it purely with the intention of finding out what happened to my money,” he said. At the time, the Maha Vikas Aghadi, comprising the undivided Shiv Sena, the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress, was in power in Maharashtra.

Two years and four months later, Bhosale still has no answers despite several rounds of statements and court hearings.

The Mumbai Police’s Economic Offences Wing (EOW) concluded that the “crime comes under the category of neither true nor false”.

Bhosale alleges Somaiya collected Rs 57 crore through his ‘Save Vikrant drive,’ a figure he admits he picked up from media reports.

The EOW pegs the figure at Rs 10,000.

Moreover, other than a tweet by Somaiya on 17 December, 2013 about his intentions of meeting the then governor of Maharashtra, K. Sankaranarayanan, there are no known records of any money being handed over for the cause.

Save Vikrant the Warship BJP Shiv Sena delegation meeting Rashtrapati today at 1.15pm to Save Vikrant Shahido ko Salam Museum — Kirit Somaiya (@KiritSomaiya) December 17, 2013

The EOW filed a closure report in December 2022, months after the Eknath Shinde-led coalition government, comprising the Shiv Sena and the BJP, came to power.

But on 8 August this year, a Mumbai magistrates’ court refused to accept this closure report.

“Further investigation in the matter is necessary,” said the additional chief judicial magistrate, S.P. Shinde.

ThePrint reached Somaiya, who was the BJP MP for the Mumbai North East constituency from 1999 to 2004 and from 2014 to 2019, via phone calls and left a message at his office. ThePrint has also reached Vinay Ghorpade, who was the EOW’s investigating officer in the case, via phone calls and texts. This article will be updated when responses are received.

Also read: 3 Chinese research vessels enter Indian Ocean, tracked by Navy

The politics around INS Vikrant

INS Vikrant, a  Majestic -class aircraft carrier originally laid down for the Royal Navy during World War 2, was still incomplete when India purchased it in 1957. It was completed and commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1961, and went on to serve for 36 years before it was finally decommissioned in 1997.

Two years later, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee gifted the ship to Maharashtra to be converted into a museum.

In 2012-2013, the Maharashtra government—then led by a coalition of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)—told the defence ministry it was unable to maintain the ship, which led the Navy to decide to auction the aircraft carrier.

Ahead of the assembly elections in 2014, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena blamed the Congress-NCP government for “not being able to maintain the ship”.

The Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece,  Saamana, wrote editorials about how the state government could not even gather money to convert the ship into a maritime museum. It waxed eloquent about how its late leader, Bal Thackeray, had wanted this to happen so that future generations could feel pride in India’s history.

Somaiya, who was gearing up for Lok Sabha elections then, was at the forefront of a campaign to save Vikrant . He even wrote a letter to the defence minister against the central government’s decision to auction the ship .

Apart from Somaiya, activists from the BJP and the Republican Party of India (RPI) also demonstrated in Mumbai and sought contributions from the public to save the ship.

However, as maintenance costs mounted, the central government, then under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), decided to dismantle the ship.

Vikrant was sold to a shipbreaker for Rs 60 crore after an online auction in 2014 and scrapped in November that year. The sale was contested in the Supreme Court, which dismissed the petition.

The case against Somaiya

While the twists and turns in the case coincide with the change in power at the state level, Bhosale says he is not politically inclined.

“I am a soldier and my only intention behind this case was service to the nation. I am not politically inclined. My only duty is to fight for justice; let us see if we get it or not,” said Bhosale, who served in the Army from 1990-1997.

 “Since the news of its decommissioning, there was some news or the other about INS Vikrant . And I knew about this drive to save INS Vikrant only through the news and hearsay.”

Bhosale says he wasn’t alone in donating to the campaign to save Vikrant . Money was collected from various parts of the city and the proceeds were to be given to the governor of Maharashtra.

But in a Right to Information (RTI) reply to a man named Dhirendra Upadhyay, the governor’s office said no such money had been deposited with the office of the Maharashtra governor.

And the investigating officer, Vinay Ghorpade, said the drive to raise funds was limited to Churchgate and only lasted about an hour.

He said in his closure report it wasn’t possible to collect Rs 57 crore in such a short period and the “accused has not misappropriated any amount”.

Only, additional chief judicial magistrate Shinde wasn’t convinced. His 8 August order said the investigation showed that people had donated money and the accused had “collected the money in the said drive”.

“The investigating officer has not taken any pain to record statements of the witnesses, from other places, who have also alleged to have made contribution in the said drive and thus further investigation is necessary in this case,” the court said.

Until a couple of years ago, Somaiya was known to spend most of his time as his party’s backroom investigator—gathering official filings, making RTI requests and getting information with which he would target his political opponents.

However, of late, Somaiya has been largely silent after several of his targets are now associated either directly with the BJP or with the Mahayuti alliance, which comprises the BJP, the Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.

So, when the Mumbai magistrate court asked the EOW to re-investigate the case against Somaiya, his political opponents saw it as payback time.

“ Satyameva jayat e (Truth alone prevails),” Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said in a post sharing a newspaper clipping about the court’s ruling on the social media platform X.

सत्यमेव जयते! हिसाब तो देना ही पडेगा!! pic.twitter.com/zIkUknRTpM — Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) August 13, 2024

(Edited by Sugita Katyal)

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