Thaindian News

Pune, July 8 (IANS) The family of a 19-year-old cadet who died at the National Defence Academy (NDA) here suspect that their son could have died due to “ragging” by seniors. While the academy has denied this, it has ordered an inquiry.
According to the NDA, Nitesh Gaur, who hails from Bhopal, was involved in a cross-country run July 2 afternoon after which he collapsed.

He was rushed to the Military Hospital, Khadakvasla, where doctors tried to revive him. He was declared dead at 5.45 p.m., the NDA said.

Nitesh’s grieving parents now suspect foul play.

“That evening Nitesh had spoken to his mother and said he was allotted a room in the hostel … he sounded happy and cheerful. Barely an hour later, an NDA official called up to inform that he was dead,” said his father Ramnarayan Gaur, a businessman in Bhopal.

When the family drove down to NDA that day, Gaur said that none of the officers were willing to speak about the likely cause of Nitesh’s sudden death.

The teenager’s maternal uncle Manmohan Gaur claimed that his nephew had mentioned about “brutal ragging” that was allegedly rampant in the NDA.

“He did not specifically mention that he was ragged. But we do not rule out the possibility in view of his sudden death and we want to know the truth,” Manmohan Gaur told IANS from Bhopal.

Major Bhagirath Dey, a spokesman for NDA, dismissing the allegations and said Nitesh’s final autopsy report was still awaited.

“In the meantime, we have lodged a complaint with the police and also instituted a court of inquiry in the NDA to look into all aspects of the unfortunate incident,” Dey told IANS Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Aditya Sharma, who was with Nitesh in NDA, said he was forced to leave the academy within three months following “severe ragging and punishment” that left him almost handicapped.

“I have been under private treatment for five months for a neck injury that had damaged some nerve and prevented movement in my arm,” he said.

He claimed that it was difficult for junior cadets to get medical treatment in the NDA since they had to first get “clearance” of seniors.

Aditya now plans to join an engineering course in Bangalore instead of going back to the NDA.

Major Dey, however, rubbished Aditya’s allegations.

“Until the final autopsy report is out, and the court of inquiry completes its duty, we cannot say anything in the matter,” he asserted.

The NDA, with nearly 1,800 students, is the country’s premier defence training institute, spread over 8,300 acres in Pune. It is credited with producing some of the brightest and best officers for the Indian Army, navy and air force over the years.