Overview
- The National Defence Academy confirmed that 17-year-old cadet Abhinav Bajpai collapsed during the routine morning physical training parade and was later declared dead at the Military Hospital, Khadakwasla.
- Officials say Bajpai, a native of Kanpur, had joined the academy on June 24 and the collapse occurred during the first official PT parade for the new batch.
- Medical staff carried out intensive resuscitation at the Military Hospital but were unable to revive him, and the academy informed his next of kin and local police.
- The Ministry of Defence has ordered a Court of Inquiry to determine the facts and cause of the incident and officials have not released a medical or forensic cause pending the probe.
- This is the third reported death of a first-term NDA cadet since last October, a pattern that has focused public attention on health screening, training safety and institutional oversight at the tri-service academy.