A soldier posted on guard duty inside the Maharajpura Airforce Station campus in Gwalior shot himself with his own service rifle, dying on the spot. The sudden burst of gunfire sent shockwaves through the entire campus, leaving fellow soldiers on duty stunned. Military Intelligence and the local Maharajpura police have both launched a detailed investigation into the incident.
Who was the soldier who died
According to Maharajpura police station, the deceased has been identified as Isendra Singh Bhadouria. The 41 year old was originally a resident of Bhind district and was posted as Sipahi GD in Unit 300 DSC platoon. At the time of the incident, he was on guard duty at post 25 MMPU, meaning he was actively deployed for campus security when the shooting happened.
Gunfire erupted barely half an hour into duty
A total of 5 soldiers were posted at that particular security post. As per rules, duty is divided into three hour shifts, so the remaining soldiers were resting in a nearby rest room at the time. Isendra Singh had barely completed half an hour of his shift when the entire campus was suddenly rocked by the sound of rapid gunfire. Hearing the shots, the resting soldiers panicked and rushed straight to the post. When they arrived, they found Isendra Singh lying on the ground, covered in blood. Army officials rushed him to Military Hospital Murar without any delay, but doctors declared him dead as soon as they examined him.
The rifle was set to burst mode, firing all 6 rounds at once
The investigation threw up a shocking detail. The rifle that fired the fatal shots was rifle number 103, a 7.62 SLR, and it was set to burst mode, meaning automatic mode, at the time. Normally such a rifle fires a single round at a time, but because it was on automatic mode, pulling the trigger once released all 6 rounds in an instant. The bullets tore through Isendra Singh's stomach and chest and exited from his back. The wounds were so severe and extensive that there was no chance of saving him.
Family tension and deep depression came to light
Preliminary police investigation also revealed that Sipahi Isendra Singh had been battling deep depression for some time. His first wife had already passed away. Following her death, he had been locked in a serious ongoing dispute with his elder son over some issue. According to police, this family tension had left him mentally broken, and its effects appear to have carried over into his state of mind while on duty.
What police are now digging into
Acting on information from Subedar Chitranjan Mahanta of the Airforce Station, police have registered a case of unnatural death. A police team led by Maharajpura station in charge Yashwant Goyal is now investigating every aspect of the case. As part of the probe, police are examining the soldier's mobile call details as well as his complete family background, in order to establish with certainty what exactly drove him to take this step.
