Lonavala: 19-year-old Navy sailor found dead, suicide suspected
What's the story
In a disturbing incident, a 19-year-old trainee sailor allegedly committed suicide on Wednesday. He was posted at INS Shivaji, the Indian Navy's base near Lonavala in Maharashtra. The deceased, identified as Akash Sainath Kannala, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at a recreation center. As no suicide note was found from the scene, the police have launched an investigation. Here's more.
Incident
Akash never reported to duty, officials found him dead
Akash hailed from Pardi village of Telangana's Nirmal district. He was pursuing the Direct Entry Engineering Mechanics course at the institute. According to reports, a duty was assigned to him on Wednesday morning but he never reported for it. Subsequently, officials searched for him and found him dead. An FIR was later registered at a local police station.
Twitter Post
Navy has ordered an inquiry
Maharashtra: Kannala Akash, 19-yr-old Naval Sailor from Telangana's Nirmal dist who was pursuing Direct Entry Engineering Mechanics course at INS Shivaji in Lonavala, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at around 3-4 am today at INS Shivaji. FIR filed. Navy has ordered inquiry.
— ANI (@ANI) June 5, 2019
Reason
Police don't have definite answers yet
The precise reason for his death has not come to the fore. The initial investigation has established that Akash was not facing any disciplinary or administrative issues at the training. Inspector BR Patil, Lonavala police, said, "If there is any family angle to the incident, we will be able to ascertain that only after having a discussion with his parents, friends and relatives."
Probe
Body to be handed over to family after autopsy
Reportedly, the post-mortem of the body had to take place on Thursday and later, his body would be handed over to his parents. The Navy has also launched an inquiry regarding the same. Separately, reports suggest that a total of eight suicide cases were recorded among the Navy personnel in 2018. Moreover, in 2017 and 2016, Navy recorded five and six suicide cases respectively.
Statistics
Army has recorded highest suicide cases in 2018
That's not it. The numbers are even worse for the Army (80 suicides in 2018) and the Air Force (16 suicides in 2018). These intimidating numbers show that this issue requires urgent attention of the respective chiefs of the forces. Notably, the Army and the Air Force have established a helpline to provide counseling to the personnel.