One of the four persons arrested by the Salem police over the death of a Bangalore-based woman in Salem on Thursday, is a serving Indian Navy officer.
The arrested, Commander N. Rajesh Kumar, once a top naval skydiver, had been through court martial proceedings by a naval board of inquiry in 2011 for alleged financial misdeeds, a naval source said. Though he was sentenced to two years rigorous imprisonment, the Delhi High Court has stayed the order. He is currently out on bail, the source said, adding that he is a qualified skydiving instructor.
Cdr. Kumar, who hails from Madurai, is serving in the Eastern Naval Command at Vishakapatnam.
A senior official in the Eastern Naval Command confirmed that he was earlier a member of the Navy’s core team of skydivers and had trained several Navy personnel.
A former armed forces personnel who knows Cdr. Rajesh said he was first trained at the Directorate of Air Force Adventure in skydiving during 2000–01 and later the Navy sent him abroad for further training. “Cdr. Rajesh is a very good skydiver,” he said. However, he added, “Serving naval officers are not allowed to take part in commercial activities.”
Salem district Superintendent of Police R. Sakthivel confirmed that Cdr. Kumar is a serving naval officer based in Vishakapatnam, and added that he was now on leave. “He was part of training programme and was actively involved in training sessions. When the accident took place, he was on the ground.”
