Rear Admiral Satyendra Singh Jamwal, chief of staff of the Southern Naval Command, was killed in what authorities called ?accidental firing? at a training centre in Kochi. Jamwal, 51, second-in-command of the Southern Command, was at the small arms firing range of training establishment INS Dronacharya when the accidental firing occurred around 1030 hours, a Navy spokesperson said in New Delhi.
The officer, widely regarded as one of the brightest in the Navy, died after he reportedly sustained a bullet injury in the head while undertaking shooting practice with a 9 mm revolver. While the Navy has ordered an investigation into his death, preliminary reports suggest that the accident occurred when he was inspecting the revolver during shooting practice.
Jamwal was officiating as commander of the Naval Southern Command in the absence of his superior, Vice Admiral K N Sushil. Sources said Jamwal inspected the training facility in the morning and made a round of the facilities before taking part in the shooting practice.
He is survived by wife Geeta and a daughter and son. In Jammu, his hometown, Major General (rtd) J S Jamwal said he could not believe his ears when he heard about his son?s death. ?My son had called last night from Kochi. He said he was was worried about my health. I told him I too was worried about his health,? said the father, fighting back tears.
He said this morning his niece called to say ?Mamu, you need to be brave today? and hung up. ?Since she disconnected the phone without saying anything else, I thought she was perhaps talking about the health of my sister who has not been well.? A friend then called to say there was a news flash about his son on TV.
?The other day, my grandson asked me who in the family was I really close to. I told him it had to be his father because of his honesty and sincerity. Every moment spent with him was memorable… I was dependent on him… I cannot find a person as honest and sincere as him,? said the father.
Rear Admiral Jamwal was commissioned in the Navy as a surface warfare officer on July 1, 1980 and specialised in anti-submarine warfare. He was widely regarded as an authority on Russia and was part of key naval consultations on the Gorshkov project. Jamwal was slated to pick up the rank of a Vice Admiral and take over as one of the senior most officers.
He was an alumnus of the Lawrence School at Sanawar, National Defence Academy, Grechko Naval War College in the then USSR, Defence Services Staff College at Wellington and Army War College at Mhow. His appointments included tenures on Indian naval ships Taragiri, Atul, Rajput, Ranvijay and command of Vibhuti and Kuthar, commissioning executive officer of guided missile destroyer INS Delhi and commissioning commanding officer of guided missile frigate INS Beas.