Pune, September 17, 2026: An Army sepoy attached to the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla sustained a critical gunshot wound to the neck at a security post inside the academy on 11 September. The circumstances of the firing remain unclear, according to police.
The injured soldier has been identified as Sepoy Rakesh Kumar Singh, 46, of the 282 Defence Security Corps (DSC) platoon posted at the NDA. The incident occurred at approximately 10.18 a.m. at Post No. 8 on the academy premises. The bullet entered the front of his neck and exited from the back. He was immediately evacuated to the Military Hospital, Khadakwasla.
Hospital records noted significant blood loss, shallow breathing and a reduced level of consciousness. Senior Police Inspector Raghvendra Kshirsagar of Uttamnagar police station stated that NDA authorities informed the police of the incident. Officers conducted a spot panchanama and recovered the spent cartridge case from the weapon. Singh remains in critical condition at the military hospital.
The military hospital report does not state whether the weapon was discharged accidentally or under other circumstances. NDA officials have not released further particulars of the shooting and have not confirmed whether a Court of Inquiry has been ordered in this case.
The shooting is the second serious incident involving service personnel posted at the NDA within ten days. On 1 September, the body of Havildar Jagtar Singh, another soldier serving at the academy and a native of Punjab, was found on the railway tracks between Khadki and Shivajinagar at about 5.30 p.m. Railway Protection Force personnel recovered the body, which was later sent for post-mortem examination. Railway police have described the preliminary finding as suicide, though the investigation continues. The NDA has ordered a Court of Inquiry into that death.
The NDA is India’s premier tri-service training institution for officer cadets of the Army, Navy and Air Force. Both incidents have occurred at the establishment within a short span, drawing attention to the welfare and duty conditions of personnel posted there. Further official updates on Sepoy Singh’s condition and the precise cause of the firing have not been issued.
