Marine commando dies during paradrop exercise in Bengal

Kolkata, April 5 A Special Forces personnel of the Indian Navy lost his life after a failed para jump in the skies over West Bengal early on Wednesday. He has been identified as Chandraka Govind, 31, a resident of Andhra Pradesh.

The Eastern Naval Command confirmed that Govind was attached to INS Karna, the dedicated base for the Navy's Marine Commandos (Marcos) in Visakhapatnam.

Govind, in a brown jumpsuit and helmet, was found outside the gate of a factory in Barjora in the Bankura district of West Bengal on Wednesday morning.

A semi-opened parachute was attached to his shoulders. The police took him to the Barjora Super Specialty Hospital where doctors declared him dead on arrival.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also confirmed that Govind - part of a team of paratroopers training at Air Force Station Arjan Singh in Panagarh in the Burdwan district of West Bengal - went missing during a routine drop from a C130J Super Hercules aircraft.

These tactical aircraft are based at Panagarh and Special Forces units from the Army, Navy and Indian Air Force participate in exercises there.

"A Court of Inquiry (CoI) has been constituted to probe the incident. Prima facie, it seems that the main parachute of the ill-fated soldier failed to open. He may have opted for his emergency chute but it could have malfunctioned as well. A probe will reveal what actually went wrong. Barjora is barely 20 km (as the crow flies) from Panagarh and there is no mystery why he landed there," a source said.

Modern day parachutes are extremely maneuverable and can be guided to their targets by Special Forces personnel from a distance of up to 40 km.

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