A recent recruit Agniveer died of a 'self-inflicted gunshot injury' along the Line of Control (LoC) in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army said on Saturday. Agniveer Amritpal Singh was found dead with a bullet injury in a forward post on October 11.
"In an unfortunate incident, Agniveer Amritpal Singh died while on sentry duty in Rajouri Sector, due to a self-inflicted gunshot injury. A Court of Inquiry to ascertain more details is in progress," the Army's Jammu-based White Knight Corps said in a post on X.
Indian Army express condolences
The Army further said that the mortal remains of the deceased, accompanied by a Junior Commissioned Officer (JCO) and four other ranks, were transported to his home town in a civil ambulance hired by the Unit of the Agniveer. "Accompanying Army personnel also attended the last rites," it said.
It said the cause of death being a self-inflicted injury, no guard of honour or military funeral was provided, in accordance with the existing policy. "Indian Army offers deepest condolences to the bereaved family," the post read.
Agniveer Scheme
The Agniveer Scheme was announced in June 2022 for recruitment in the armed forces. The scheme is meant only for recruiting soldiers and not officers in the forces. The soldiers recruited under this Agneepath scheme are known as Agniveers.
Under the Agniveer Scheme, the three services (Army, Navy, and Air Force) are recruiting young between the age of 17 and a half years and 21 years for an initial service period of four years, with the provision to retain 25 per cent of them for an additional 15 years of service. In 2022, the upper age limit for recruitment under this scheme was extended to 23 years.
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