Pune: NDA Security Personnel Dies of Gunshot Wound; Police, Military Inquiries Underway
Khadakwasla, 18th September 2026: A 46-year-old Defence Security Corps (DSC) personnel posted at the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Khadakwasla died on Wednesday evening, September 16, five days after sustaining a gunshot wound while on duty inside the academy campus.
The deceased has been identified as Sepoy Rakesh Kumar Singh of the 282 DSC Platoon, who was posted at Security Post No. 8 (guard room) at the NDA.
The circumstances surrounding the firing on September 11 remain under investigation, with both Pune Police and the NDA conducting separate inquiries to determine whether the weapon was discharged accidentally or deliberately.
According to police, the incident occurred at around 10:18 a.m. on September 11. Another sentry stationed at a nearby tower heard a gunshot and went towards the post. He found Singh injured and immediately alerted the control room.
Singh had suffered a gunshot wound to the neck, with the bullet entering from the front and exiting from the rear. He was evacuated to the Military Hospital at Khadakwasla, where he was admitted for emergency treatment.
Medical reports indicated significant blood loss, shallow breathing and reduced consciousness. Despite intensive treatment, his condition remained critical and he died on Wednesday evening.
Police from Uttamnagar police station were informed by NDA authorities. Officers conducted a spot panchanama and recovered a spent cartridge case from Singh’s service rifle. Initial findings indicate that the injury was caused by his own weapon.
An accidental death report (ADR) has been registered. Senior Inspector Raghvendra Kshirsagar said the exact circumstances of the firing were yet to be established.
“We are yet to ascertain whether it was a suicide or the bullet went off by mistake,” Kshirsagar said.
A post-mortem examination was conducted at Sassoon General Hospital, following which Singh’s body was handed over to his family. Singh was originally from Bihar.
The NDA has also ordered an internal inquiry into the incident. According to a senior officer, the inquiry will examine various aspects of the case, including Singh’s personal circumstances and recent mental state, as investigators seek to establish the sequence of events.
The incident comes around two weeks after another serious case involving an NDA-posted service personnel. On September 1, the body of Havildar Jagtar Singh, who was also posted at the academy and hailed from Mansa district in Punjab, was found on railway tracks between Khadki and Shivajinagar. Railway Protection Force personnel found the body at around 5:30 p.m.
A Court of Inquiry was ordered into that incident. Police had indicated suicide as a preliminary possibility, while the investigation remained ongoing.
The National Defence Academy, located at Khadakwasla in Pune, is India’s premier tri-service training institution for Army, Navy and Air Force cadets. DSC personnel are responsible for security duties across the academy’s extensive campus.
NDA has not issued any statement on the firing incident.
Authorities have said that the inquiries into both incidents are continuing. No final conclusion has been reached regarding the circumstances of the September 11 firing. Investigators are examining the weapon, the sequence of events and relevant personal and operational circumstances.
