Woman undergoing training as Navy Agniveer found dead in Mumbai

Chimaji Adhav, a local police officer, said that the woman was from Kerala, who came to Mumbai a fortnight ago and was staying at the Navy hostel with at least 20 other women

A 20-year-old woman undergoing training as the Navy Agniveer was found dead in her hostel room at INS Hamla in Mumbai’s Malad West on Tuesday, police said, and added an accidental death report has been registered.

The trainee’s body has been sent for postmortem. (Getty Images)

Police said that the trainee was found hanging by a bedsheet. They added that doctors who rushed to her room declared her dead.

Chimaji Adhav, a local police officer, said that the woman was from Kerala, who came to Mumbai a fortnight ago and was staying at the Navy hostel with at least 20 other women.

The trainee’s body has been sent for postmortem and police were recording statements of her colleagues and relatives to ascertain the exact reason for her death. “The reason seems to be personal. But we are investigating all possible angles,” said Adhav.

Agniveers are recruited under the Agnipath scheme, which is a departure from the military’s decades-old recruitment system. The previous system ended after the government announced the new scheme last year. It scheme seeks to recruit soldiers for four years, with a provision to retain 25% of them in regular service for another 15 years after further screening.