The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked Army authorities to issue a clear and reasoned order explaining the cause of death of an Agniveer who died in Jammu and Kashmir while on duty last year.
The deceased soldier’s parents, Karamjit Kaur and Balwinder Singh, approached the High Court after they allegedly received no clear response from the Army about how their 20-year-old son, Akashdeep Singh, died.
Appearing for the family, advocate Rajesh Sehgal told the court that the Army had earlier informed them that a Court of Inquiry (COI) would determine the cause of death. However, the family has not been given the inquiry report, findings, opinion, or any official communication even after several months.
On May 1, Justice Sandeep Moudgil had ordered the Senior Record Officer of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment and the Commanding Officer of 8 Mechanised Infantry (7 Punjab), or any authorised officer, to examine all concerns raised in the plea. The court ordered the authorities to pass a detailed and speaking order within six weeks in accordance with law.
The High Court also odered that the parents must be given a fair opportunity for a personal hearing before any decision is taken.
Karamjit Kaur remembers the last conversation she had with her son a day before his death. Akashdeep used to regularly speak to his parents via video calls and often checked on their health. He would lovingly ask to see his dogs and his Bullet motorcycle during calls. “It was 9:24 pm,” she recalled. “We were on a video call, but electricity went out in our village Chahal in Faridkot. He switched to a voice call. He had even booked train tickets for my younger son going to an NCC camp in Hisar and sent us the screenshot.”
The following morning, May 15, 2025, Akashdeep lost his life under mysterious circumstances after sustaining three gunshot wounds in a field area of Awantipora, Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The incident happened around the time when Operation Sindoor was underway in the region.
Akashdeep’s father Balwinder, who is a farmer, said he received a phone call from a Naib Subedar around 9:30 am informing him about his son’s death. “After that call, I kept trying to contact Army officers, but no one answered,” he said.
Parents alleged that the post-mortem examination was done on May 15, 2025, without taking their consent. The Army handed over Akashdeep’s body to the family at Faridkot on May 16, after which his last rites were performed.
Akashdeep had joined the Army as an Agniveer on July 4, 2023, fulfilling a dream he had long cherished. In June 2025, the grieving parents met the Commanding Officer and other unit officials, but they claim no one explained the circumstances surrounding their son’s death.
Advocate Rajesh Sehgal told the court that the family was verbally told that Akashdeep had died by suicide. He informed the court that the soldier was deployed in an operational area under Operation Rakshak and was taken to the 92 Base Hospital after suffering a gunshot injury to the head, where doctors declared him dead. The initial report had stated that the exact cause would be determined after completion of the Court of Inquiry.
Balwinder Singh, however, refuses to believe his son ended his life.
“I spoke to him around 6:30 pm a day before he died. He sounded happy and told me there was a party in the unit that night. My son cannot commit suicide,” he said.
In their search for answers, the parents even visited the forested area where their son lost his life and stayed there for two days, hoping to understand what happened.
When repeated attempts to get answers from Army officials failed, the family turned to the Punjab Chief Minister and the state Defence Services Welfare Department for assistance.
The department later wrote to Akashdeep’s unit on July 23, 2025. On July 28, the Records Office informed the parents that whether the death would be treated as a battle casualty or physical casualty would be decided only after completion of the Court of Inquiry.
On September 15, 2025, Awantipora police told the family that the inquest proceedings had been closed, treating the case as a suicide. The parents filed RTI applications and appeals seeking the inquiry report, but they say the Court of Inquiry findings were never shared with them.
The family alleged that they have not received two years’ salary benefits or the ex gratia compensation of Rs 44 lakh. They have only received Rs 48 lakh under the insurance cover.
Also read: Agniveer Akashdeep Singh cremated in Faridkot
Follow us
