Pune: A 17-year-old first-term cadet of National Defence Academy (NDA) died after complaining of uneasiness during a routine physical training session at the institution on Friday morning.The deceased, Abhinav Bajpai from Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, had joined the tri-services training academy on June 24. According to an official statement issued by the NDA, Bajpai complained of uneasiness during the academy’s routine morning physical training — the first official physical training parade for the newly inducted course — before suddenly losing consciousness.“He was immediately evacuated to the Military Hospital, Khadakwasla, where doctors carried out intensive resuscitation measures. He could not be revived despite sustained medical efforts, and was declared dead,” stated the NDA’s statement.The academy said a Court of Inquiry had been ordered to ascertain the facts and circumstances leading to the incident. Its findings are expected to determine whether any medical, procedural or other factors contributed to the cadet’s death.The cadet’s family and the police have been informed about his death. “The National Defence Academy extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved family during this difficult time,” the academy said in its statement.Inspector Ragvendra Kshirsagar of Uttamnagar police said, “We have registered an accidental death based on primary information from the NDA authorities and statements given by the cadets present during the parade session. We have informed the victim’s parents and they are yet to reach Pune. The post-mortem will be done at Sassoon General Hospital subsequently.”The death of first-term cadet Bajpai on Friday once again brought to the fore rare but tragic medical emergencies during military training. Last Oct, first-term cadet Aditya D Yadav (18) from Bihar died during a supervised swimming practice session meant for trainees categorised as “weak swimmers”.Another first-term cadet, Antriksh Kumar Singh (18) from Lucknow, allegedly died by suicide in the same month last year. Pratham Mahale, a final-term cadet from Jalgaon in Maharashtra, died during an inter-squadron boxing competition in Oct 2023.Every cadet undergoes medical examinations before admission, but experts and veterans believe that certain underlying medical conditions, including undiagnosed cardiac disorders, may remain asymptomatic and manifest only during intense physical exertion.“Therefore, it is essential to test the physical fitness of each cadet at the Services Selection Board (SSB)-level before inducting them into the academies. The existing physical tests are not scientifically proven and hence, this change needs to be brought in at the earliest,” a former SSB chairman told TOI on the condition of anonymity.“The current lifestyle and food habits also contribute to the poor health of youths. Therefore, the academy in its joining instructions clearly mention and advise joining cadets to attain certain physical standards. These instructions need to be followed by the selected cadets before joining the academy to smoothly get into the academy’s rigorous training schedule,” a former physical training officer of the NDA said.The NDA has not announced any changes to its training schedule after Friday’s tragedy. “The training regime is reviewed and validated time and again at various levels and therefore, it is done as per the mandate. Each and every aspect of it is implemented strictly to ensure smooth conduct of academic classes and physical activities in the academy,” a senior officer of the NDA told TOI on condition of anonymity.The NDA, near Pune, is India’s premier tri-services training institution. Cadets of the Army, Navy and the Air Force undergo rigorous military and academic training there before proceeding to their respective pre-commissioning academies.Physical conditioning forms an integral part of the training schedule, particularly for the first-term cadets. Military medical facilities and emergency response teams remain on standby during training activities. In Friday’s incident, officials said the cadet was shifted to the hospital without delay after he became unconscious.
