Several posters paying homage to Border Security Force (BSF) jawan, Aditya Kadam, were pl- astered throughout Ghatkopar on Thursday morning, as news spread that he died in a terrorist attack in Jammu & Kashmir. But it later transpired that he had allegedly committed suicide in West Bengal, where he was posted.
A BSF official said, “Kadam, of the 35th battalion, committed suicide for personal reasons, according to information we have received. The police are further investigating the case.” Kadam, who joined the BSF in 2011, was posted at the Khagrabari camp in Mathabhanga, Cooch Behar district.
The family was informed about his death through a phone call early on Wednesday. “It is unclear how he died. All we were told is that he was on duty and a bullet shot was heard. When help reached him, he was found dead. The officials told us that he was alone at the time,” said his elder brother, Amol.
His family does not believe that the 25-year-old could have committed suicide. “There was no reason for him on the personal front to have taken such a step. We will demand a probe if there was a problem at the camp. He called our mother at 8pm the previous day and spoke normally. In fact, he mentioned that he will be visiting home in February,” said Amol.
The family lives in a small house in Ghatkopar, where they also run a grocery store. His father, who had met with an accident few months back, has not yet been informed about his death. “He will be told only after the family gets the body,” said a neighbour, Urvashi Mane.
Over 100 people from the neighbourhood are travelling to the Kadam home town in Sangli, where the family is waiting for the body to arrive from New Delhi on Friday. “He was very popular and was very lively. He last visited Mumbai around two months back when his grandfather passed away,” said a friend, Chandrakant Babar.
Neighbours remember him fondly and many were teary-eyed while talking about him. “Whenever he came to Mumbai he would be at the forefront of all activities in the locality. He was a favourite among children and adults. The entire neighbourhood was shocked. He was a gem of a person,” said a neighbour, Pallavi Patkar.