Top Naval officer killed in freak firing 
It was an accident, says Navy; police suspects suicide
Tribune News Service & Agencies

Kochi/New Delhi, July 7
Mystery shrouds the death of Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command, Rear Admiral SS Jamwal, who died today after a bullet pierced his skull. While the Navy said that the highly-accomplished officer accidentally shot himself, the police suspect suicide.

Admiral Jamwal, 51, was firing from a 9 mm hand-held pistol as part of his routine training drill around 10.30 am when the freak incident occurred. During firing, the deceased paused to inspect the weapon, which probably had a snag. In the process, Jamwal shot himself. He was rushed to hospital where he later died.

Even as Navy spokesman Commander PVS Satish maintained in the National Capital that Admiral SS Jamwal died in accidental firing, top police sources said that his death appeared to be suicide. A case of ‘unnatural death’ has been registered. Family problems could be behind it, police said.

However, the Kochi naval establishment dismissed reports of suicide as speculative. “If the Chief of Staff wants to commit suicide he need not go to the firing range. He was accompanied by his entire staff, including the executive officer of Dronacharya, the firing officer and head of the range. It was an official, planned visit to a firing range to check the progress of training,” Commodore Ajaya Kumar, Commanding Officer of INS Venduruthy and naval officer in-charge of Kerala, told reporters.

Admiral Jamwal was at INS Dronacharya on an official visit to monitor training of the second batch of ‘Sagar Prahatri Bal’, the new force being raised by the navy for coastal security in which 24 cadets were undergoing training. The training had commenced on Monday and today was the day for firing practice, he said.

The Rear Admiral, Commodore Kumar said, had said he himself would do some firing practice and first used the Insas and later the 9 mm pistol. Unfortunately, the pistol misfired twice. While he was inspecting it from close range to ascertain the cause of the misfiring, it suddenly went off, he said.

“The muzzle was pointing towards his head and during that time the gun went off accidentally,” Commodore Kumar said. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he was declared brought dead.

Commodore Kumar said a board of inquiry has been ordered to look into the incident and would file a report in 10 days. Ruling out suicide, he said Admiral Jamwal was a very happy man. “I had never seen him in despair,” he said.

All officers, howsoever senior, have to practice firing throughout their career at periodic intervals. Norms for minimum practice are laid down by the Naval Headquarters. Officers expressed great shock at Jamwal’s tragic demise. Describing him as a rising star of the Indian Navy, they said that he had picked up his current rank — equivalent to Major General — at the age of 50 and was certain to be elevated as Vice-Admiral. “He was doing very well for himself and was ahead of his compatriots in being promoted,” said a colleague.

Jamwal took over as Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command on September 1, 2009. Earlier, he was naval attaché at the Indian Embassy in Moscow. An alumnus of Lawrence School Sanawar, National Defence Academy, Grechko Naval War College (Russia), Defence Services Staff College (Wellington) and the Army War College, Jamwal had in his 30-year service specialised in anti-submarine warfare to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy subs and was now an instructor in the same.

Originally from Jammu, Jamwal is survived by his wife Geeta and two children who live in Delhi. He was commissioned into the Navy on July 1, 1980. His father Major General Jagdish Singh Jamwal (retd) lives in Jammu.

Jamwal’s afloat appointments included tenures on Indian naval ships Taragiri, Atul, Rajput and Ranvijay. He also commanded the Vibhuti and Kuthar and was commissioning executive officer of guided missile destroyer Delhi and commissioning commanding officer of guided missile frigate Beas. He was the Aide-de-Camp (ADC) to the President of India from 1983 to 85.