20-Year-Old Kerala Agniveer Trainee Found Dead at Army Artillery Centre in Deolali

A 20-year-old Agniveer trainee from Kerala was found dead at the Indian Army’s Artillery Centre in Deolali Camp, Nashik, on Thursday morning, prompting police to register an accidental death case and begin an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The deceased was identified as Ashwin M, a resident of Kannapuram in Kerala. According to the available information, he had been undergoing Agniveer training at the Artillery Centre for about 10 weeks.

Police said fellow trainees discovered Ashwin in the accommodation area at around 6.40 am and alerted senior Army officers. He was then taken to the Deolali Camp Military Hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival. Lieutenant Colonel Pankaj Kumar was among the officers reported to have examined him at the hospital.

Upanagar Police Senior Inspector Sanjay Pise said an accidental death case has been registered and an inquiry has been initiated. Police suspect that the death may have occurred sometime during the night between Wednesday and Thursday, though the exact time and sequence of events have not yet been established.

No suicide note was reportedly recovered from the scene. Authorities have not officially determined the cause of death, and investigators are awaiting additional evidence, including the post-mortem findings, before drawing any conclusions.

Police Sub-Inspector Jade is reportedly handling the investigation. Officials are examining the circumstances in the accommodation area and are expected to record statements from fellow trainees, Army officers and others connected with the case.

The Artillery Centre at Deolali is one of the Indian Army’s major training establishments for the Regiment of Artillery and trains personnel for various artillery roles. The incident has therefore drawn attention to the training environment at the facility, though authorities have not linked Thursday’s death to any operational issue or broader safety concern.

The death comes nearly two years after a separate training accident at Deolali in October 2024, when two under-training Agniveers were killed and another was injured after a shell from an Indian Field Gun burst during a firing exercise at the Artillery Centre’s field firing range. A court of inquiry was ordered into that incident.

Officials stressed that the latest case is being investigated separately and is currently classified as an accidental death. No detailed public statement from the Indian Army or from Ashwin’s family was available in the initial reports.

Police said the inquiry will rely on evidence collected from the scene, statements from those involved and the findings of the post-mortem examination to establish the official cause of death and the sequence of events.