Another Army officer dies in exercise; third in three months

JAISALMER: A senior Army officer of Lt Col rank, who had come to take part in an ongoing war exercise at Pokhran, died of a heart attack late Monday evening. The 39-year-old, Pankaj Sharma, was a resident of Dehradun. In just the last three months, this is the third officer who has died during the war exercise. The body will be brought to Dehradun after the postmortem.

According to information received from senior official sources, Sharma, deployed with the unit at Bhaniyana, was rushed to the Army hospital immediately after he collapsed. But doctors declared him dead. Defence spokesperson Manish Ojha confirmed the incident. "A sincere and mature officer, he was an expert in handling ammunition," said an officer who has served with him.

Sharma is the third officer who has died during the exercise in three months. While Major Dhruv Yadav, officer of 75 Armored Regiment, died on September 22, Commanding Officer of 12 Guards, Vishnu Prasad, died of swine flu on October 22.