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. Local police have registered an accidental death case and launched an inquiry to determine the circumstances surrounding his death.
The deceased has been identified as Ashwin M, a resident of Kannapuram in Kerala. He had reportedly been undergoing Agniveer training at the Artillery Centre for around 10 weeks.
According to Upanagar police, fellow trainees found Ashwin in the accommodation area at around 6.40 am. Senior Army officers were subsequently informed, and he was rushed 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 that an accidental death case has been registered and an inquiry has been initiated. Police suspect that the death occurred sometime during the night between Wednesday and Thursday.
No suicide note was reportedly recovered from the scene. Authorities have not yet officially established the exact cause of death, and investigators are awaiting further evidence, including post-mortem findings.
Police Sub-Inspector Jade is reportedly handling the investigation. Police are examining the circumstances surrounding the trainee’s death at the accommodation area and are expected to record statements from fellow trainees, officers and others connected with the case.
Further police and military inquiries, along with the post-mortem report, are expected to establish the sequence of events and the official cause of death. No detailed public statement from the Indian Army or Ashwin’s family was available in the initial reports.
The Artillery Centre at Deolali is one of the major training establishments of the Indian Army’s Regiment of Artillery and trains personnel for various artillery roles.
The incident 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.
The latest death, however, is unrelated to the 2024 accident and is currently being investigated separately as an accidental death. Authorities have not announced any conclusion regarding the cause or circumstances, and the inquiry remains underway.
Police said the case will be investigated on the basis of evidence collected from the scene, statements from those concerned and the findings of the post-mortem examination.
