A 22-year-old Agniveer who had been untraceable for the last three days was found dead inside a vacant barrack at the Sikh Light Infantry Regimental Centre in Fatehgarh on Thursday, officials told news agency PTI.
The deceased, identified as Jasanpreet Singh, hailed from Bhagatgarh village in Punjab's Barnala district and was serving with the Sikh Light Infantry Regimental Centre. He had arrived in Fatehgarh in March for training.
According to officials, Singh had been reported missing from his battalion three days earlier, following which regimental authorities began efforts to locate him.
The body was discovered after a strong foul smell was noticed coming from an abandoned barrack near the Military Training Centre quarters. Police were informed and a team headed by Central Jail outpost in-charge Shiv Kumar reached the location.
After entering the locked barrack, officers found Singh hanging from a noose. Officials said the body was estimated to be two to three days old and was in an advanced state of decomposition.
A forensic team subsequently examined the site and gathered evidence as part of the investigation.
Police said preliminary findings indicated that the barrack had been locked from the inside and suggested that the Agniveer had allegedly died by suicide. The body was sent for a post-mortem examination before being handed over to the concerned Army unit. Sources told PTI the autopsy report pointed to death by hanging and indicated that the incident had taken place around two days before the body was found.
Both Army authorities and the local police are investigating the circumstances leading to the death.
Officials said the soldier's family has been informed. The incident has cast a pall of gloom over the regiment.
