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.

The Admiral had lashed out at the media at the annual Navy briefing on Tuesday .