(Trigger warning: Mentions of suicide)
Nearly a month ago, on 12 June, Srikant Kumar Chaudhary had returned to the Air Force Station in Uttar Pradesh's Agra from his hometown in Ballia district.
Srikant's brother Siddhant recalled he was "absolutely fine".
"He was with his family just 20 days ago and he was happy. There is neither any financial nor any mental stress at our home. There is no problem. Even the people working with him have told us that he had no issues whatsoever. So, if there was no problem, then why would he do such a thing?" Siddhant, who works in Punjab's Amritsar, asked.
Srikant, a 22-year-old Agniveer, was found dead while on sentry duty on 2 July in a suspected case of death by suicide.
(Photo: Sourced by Quint Hindi)
Srikant, a 22-year-old Agniveer, was found dead while on sentry duty on 2 July in a suspected case of death by suicide. But his family told Quint Hindi that "he cannot die by suicide" and that what actually happened will only be known after the investigation.
Srikant had joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2022.
"Our mother would call us every day and talk to us. Only then would she eat her dinner and go to sleep. He had been talking to her in his usual positive self. On that day, she called Srikant, but he did not pick up. She thought he must be on duty."Siddhant
Siddhant found out about his brother's demise the next day at about 6:00 am.
"When I answered the call from the Air Force station, I learned that an accident had occurred around 1:00 am. We had also received a call around 4:00 am, but we couldn’t answer. My brother-in-law Neeraj Patel lives in Delhi, he was also informed over the phone," he said.
'A Promising Man, Did Well in Studies'
"Srikant was a promising man. He did well in studies. He had a very positive attitude," Patel told Quint Hindi.
"The one who used to tell others to remain strong, who was himself so positive, he cannot do such a thing."Neeraj Patel
Talking about the morning after Srikant's death, Patel recounted: "We were told on the phone that Srikant has shot himself. All the officers we spoke to gave similar answers as if everyone had been taught (to say the same thing). We suspect that something horrible happened to him. A high-level investigation should be done... the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) should investigate."
According to The Telegraph, IAF spokesperson, Wing Commander Ashish Moghe told the family that a court of inquiry has been ordered. "We have been assured of an investigation by the IAF, so we have not filed any FIR (first information report) yet,” added Siddhant.
On 4 July, Srikant's funeral was held with a guard of honor in his ancestral village, Narayanpur Pachrukhiya, in the Revati police station area.
On 4 July, Srikant's funeral was held with a guard of honor in his ancestral village, Narayanpur Pachrukhiya, in the Revati police station area.
(Photo: Sourced by Quint Hindi)
On 4 July, Srikant's funeral was held with a guard of honor in his ancestral village, Narayanpur Pachrukhiya, in the Revati police station area.
(Photo: Sourced by Quint Hindi)
But there remain unanswered questions, the family said.
"This incident occurred during duty deployment. The officials informed us that Srikant's body was found during the shift change. We were told that he was shot three times, then why didn't anyone hear anything at the Air Force base?" Siddhant asked.
He further alleged, "Wherever he was deployed for duty, there are CCTV cameras. But the area where he was shot did not have any CCTV. How is that possible?"
On 4 July, Srikant's funeral was held with a guard of honor in his ancestral village, Narayanpur Pachrukhiya, in the Revati police station area.
(Photo: Sourced by Quint Hindi)
Under the Agnipath scheme, launched in June 2022, Agniveers are recruited to the army, air force, and the navy on four-year contracts. Post that, 75 percent of them are to be demobilised, with the remaining 25 percent to be retained in the cadre. The Agniveers, who are not retained, are not entitled to gratuity or pension.
Days before Srikant's demise, on 1 July, during the Motion of Thanks to the President's Address, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, had criticised the Central government's Agnipath scheme, stating that the government neither gave pension nor the status of a martyr to those serving under the scheme.
During this speech, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh alleged that Gandhi had presented incorrect information about the scheme. Singh claimed that Agniveers were given a compensation of Rs 1 crore upon martyrdom – leading to a political slugfest.
At Least 6 Deaths of Agniveers So Far
There is no official statistic on the number of deaths of Agniveers admitted through the Indian government's Agnipath scheme. However, at least five Agniveers have allegedly died before Shrikant. While some deaths occurred under mysterious circumstances, others happened on duty.
1. Amritpal Singh (11 October 2023): According to the Indian Army, Amritpal Singh allegedly died by suicide. Taking to X, the Army had called his death "a horrible loss for both the family and the Indian Army". However, Amritpal did not receive a military funeral which became a subject of controversy. The Indian Army then clarified that in the case of death by suicide, a military funeral was not accorded.
2. Gawate Akshay Lakshman (22 October 2023): Agniveer Akshay, who was an operator, was allegedly killed on duty at Siachen Glacier. According to The Print, Akshay was the first Agniveer to lose his life on duty. The Additional Directorate General of Public Information, IHQ of the Ministry of Defence (Army), posted on their X handle,
"Agniveer (Operator) Gawate Akshay Lakshman sacrificed his life during duty in Siachen. In this time of sorrow, the Indian Army stands firmly with the grieving family."
3. Aparna Nair (27 November 2023): Aparna Nair, who was undergoing Agniveer training for the Indian Navy in Mumbai, was found dead in her hostel room. She was a resident of Kerala.
Malvani police station's senior inspector, Chimaji Adhav, had told the media that Aparna Nair had arrived in Mumbai roughly two weeks ago. According to the police, on the morning of 27 November, her roommate came back at about 10:30 am but nobody answered the door despite her repeated attempts. The police said that when the door was broken, they found Nair's body. She was rushed to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
4. Ajay Singh (18 January 2024): 23-year-old Agniveer Ajay Singh was allegedly killed on 18 January in Jammu Kashmir's Rajouri district, near LOC, during an explosion in a tunnel. Ajay was a resident of Ramgarh Sardaran village in the Payal division of Ludhiana district.
Jitendra Singh Tanvar (9 May 2024): Jitendra Singh Tanwar – who was deployed as a part of a 3 para special force battalion – was an Agniveer in the Indian Army. He was reported dead due to a gunfire in Srinagar on 9 May. According to ANI, an army officer had said that the Indian Army is investigating the reason for his death. His funeral was held in his village in Alwar, Rajasthan.
(This article first appeared on Quint Hindi. It has been translated into English by Syed Faheem Ahmad.)
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