NDA cadet found hanging in his room

PUNE: A 20-year-old fifth-term naval cadet of the

National Defence Academy

(NDA) at Khadakwasla here was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room around 5.15pm on Sunday.

NDA authorities said the cause of death was being investigated and that a court of inquiry has been initiated. The

Uttamnagar police

were informed about the incident.

The cadet, Alekh Jaiswal, was found hanging in his room in the ‘Hunter’ squadron building by some of his colleagues. “The cadet’s absence was noticed during the roll call taken at the squadron at 5pm. His fellow cadets were asked to check on him. They found him hanging in his room,” an officer from the academy told TOI.

Jaiswal was immediately rushed to the Military Hospital (MH) at Khadakwasla but was declared brought dead, the NDA said in a brief release issued later on Sunday.

Jaiswal hailed from Raipur in Chhattisgarh and was pursuing his B.Sc in computer science. He had done his schooling from Sainik School, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, sources in the NDA said.

“The cadet was excellent academically and was doing well in military training as well considering that he was from a sainik school. His Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) was also good,” sources said.

A source in the NDA told TOI that Jaiswal interacted with fellow cadets around 4pm at the squadron. “He had a jovial conversation with the other cadets. They (cadets) didn’t find him under stress or worried,” the source said.

NDA commandant

Air Marshal J S Kler

and other senior officers visited the hospital and later went to the squadron building where they interacted with other cadets, the source said.

The NDA informed the Uttamnagar police and Jaiswal’s parents about the incident. “A police team conducted a spot panchanama. Jaiswal’s room was later closed,” an NDA officer said.

The officer told TOI, “The academy has been taking conscious efforts to counsel cadets right from their first term. Cadets facing issues like home sickness also go through these counselling sessions, which are conducted by a professor from the education branch.”

Asked whether a strenuous training schedule was affecting the cadets, the officer said, “The academy’s training regime is scientific and implemented in phases. For example, the training regime in the fifth and sixth terms is different from that in the first term. There is no additional training pressure on the cadets.”

Another officer said, “Usually, the first-term cadets face problems at the academy. But after the first six months, they get acclimatised to the training schedules. It is shocking that a fifth-term cadet has committed suicide.”

In August 2014, Bhutanese cadet

Yeshi Dorji

had committed suicide at the NDA. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his cabin.