Two gentlemen Cadets (GCs) from the Dehradun-based Indian Military Academy (IMA) died after falling ill during a training course due to “exhaustion and dehydration”, the academy authorities said on Monday. The deaths took place on Friday and Saturday.

Seven GCs fell ill “due to dehydration” during Friday’s 10-km run held under the ‘Pahla Kadam’ exercise, conducted in Badshahi Bagh area of Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. Of the seven, Deepak Sharma (22) from Bathinda, Punjab, was rushed to the nearest local hospital in Vikasnagar, in Dehradun district, in a “critical” condition, where he died the same day.

The remaining six were sent to the Military Hospital in Dehradun. Of them, Nabin Kumar Chhetri (23) from Darjeeling, West Bengal, was referred to Dehradun-based Shri Mahant Indiresh Hospital, where he died late Saturday night, according to a statement issued by the IMA on Monday.

The remaining five GCs admitted at the Military Hospital are “stable”, the academy stated.

“Postmortem reports of the two cadets are awaited but prima facie evidence indicates that the deaths occurred due to heart failure,” Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nivedita Kukreti said.

The cadets were in the fresh batch of GCs at IMA and were undertaking training course to leave the academy as Lieutenant-rank officers. The ‘Pahla Kadam’ exercise was part of the course to test endurance and build stamina of the GCs. While Sharma was undergoing training in Technical Graduate Course, Chhetri was in the Regular Course.

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