A 33-year-old army trainee from Kerala died of drowning at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), police said.
According to the police, the victim, Balu S from Nemom in Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, was found drowned in the pool when he had gone swimming. The cadet was residing at IMA Panditwari.
Sub-Inspector Narendra Bangari at the Dehradun Cantonment Police Station — under whose jurisdiction IMA comes — said the body had been handed over to the family after autopsy. No complaint had been submitted to police yet, he said.
According to his family, Balu, 33, had joined the army 12 years ago and was a havildar posted in Jaipur. The victim was taken to the military hospital where he was declared dead. The academy later informed the family of his death.
Balu was training in his second term in the institute as a special commission entry officer, a scheme that allows serving junior-level officers to get commissioned in various other postings.
“We are awaiting the post mortem report. We have not got an official confirmation about the cause of death. We are told that he was found at the swimming pool at the academy,” one family member said.
A defence official said that the victim was taken to the military hospital, where he was declared dead. The academy later informed the family of his death.
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Balu is survived by his wife Arshida and two children Abin, 7, and Ayan, 2. His body would be flown to Thiruvananthapuram Friday night and cremation will be held Saturday noon with full military honours.
In 2019, a Gentleman Cadet named Amul Rawal lost his life during a training exercise when he fell into a deep gorge during a night navigation exercise. In August 2017, an enquiry was ordered into the deaths of two GCs after they fell ill during a training course.
The IMA authorities had stated “exhaustion and dehydration” as the reason behind the deaths. Moreover, seven GCs fell ill “due to dehydration” during a 10-km run under the ‘Pahla Kadam’ exercise.
