Tribune News Service

Dehradun, August 21

Following a furore over the deaths of two gentlemen cadets (GCs), the Indian Military Academy authorities today admitted that seven GCs had fallen ill owing to exhaustion and dehydration while participating in a 10 km-long run during training at Badshahi Bagh near Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. They said although the GCs were provided the best medical facilties, two of them — Deepak Sharma and Nabin Kumar Chhetri — could not be saved. “The other gentleman cadets have been treated at the military hospital and they are stable,” the Army said.After first-aid, gentleman cadet Sharma was rushed to the nearest medical centre (Lehman Hospital) in Vikasnagar, Dehradun, but he succumbed to exhaustion and dehydration on August 18. Gentleman cadet Chhetri was rushed to Mahant Indresh Hospital but he too died on August 20.Sharma hailed from Bathinda in Punjab and  Chhetri was from Darjeeling in West Bengal.The IMA conducts “Pahla Kadam” at Badshahi Bagh for all gentlemen cadets in their first term of training.