A 22-year-old Agniveer from Uttar Pradesh’s Ballia district allegedly died by suicide while on sentry duty at the Air Force Station in Agra late Tuesday night. The Agniveer was identified as Srikant Kumar Chaudhary. He had joined the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 2022.A Board of Inquiry has been formed to ascertain what led to Srikant’s death, his family was reportedly informed by IAF officers who handed over his body. Srikant was cremated at his native village, Narayanpur, on Thursday evening with a Guard of Honour by IAF personnel from the Bihar unit.
According to a Indian Express report, Srikant was upset at not getting leave due to a lack of manpower at the Air Force Station in Agra. Amit Kumar Maan, Station House Officer and in-charge of Shahganj police station, said that Srikant’s elder brother Siddhant reached Agra on Wednesday evening to complete the paperwork. “We have not recovered any suicide note. His family members have not lodged a complaint so far. We will probe the suicide if the family members register a complaint at Shahganj police station,” he added.
Born and raised in Pachrukhiya New Basti (Narayanpur), Chaudhary joined the Air Force in 2022 through the Cenbtre’s Agniveer recruitment programme. The family sought answers about the circumstances surrounding Shrikant’s death, but officials remained tight-lipped. Air Force Corporal B Singh, who accompanied the body, revealed only that the cause of death was a gunshot wound. A board of inquiry has been instituted to investigate the incident. Inspector Amit Kumar Maan of Shahganj Police said Chaudhary was rushed to the hospital by Air Force personnel, where he was pronounced dead. Preliminary findings indicate that the soldier shot himself between the eyebrows, the bullet passing through the upper part of his head. The rifle has been sent to the forensic lab in Agra for analysis.