New Delhi, July 10 -- He entered the gates of the National Defence Academy with a heart full of dreams, a young man ready to dedicate his life to the nation. But barely 16 days after wearing the coveted NDA uniform for the first time, 17-year-old Cadet Abhinav Bajpai's journey came to a tragic end, leaving behind a grieving family, shattered dreams and an academy mourning the loss of one of its youngest members.
A native of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, Abhinav had joined the NDA on June 24, 2026, as a first-term cadet. Like thousands of young aspirants before him, he had cleared one of the country's toughest selections to earn his place at the prestigious tri-services training institution at Khadakwasla, Pune.
For Abhinav, the NDA was not merel...