Jawan dies by suicide at Air Force station near Coimbatore, wife says he was stressed
The deceased, identified as Naik S Sanu, was from Kadumthiruthy near Kannadi in Kerala’s Palakkad district and was posted as a DSC guard at the Air Force Station.
2 min readChennaiUpdated: Oct 22, 2025 01:36 PM IST
The deceased, identified as Naik S Sanu, was from Kadumthiruthy near Kannadi in Kerala’s Palakkad district and was posted as a DSC guard at the Air Force Station.
A 47-year-old Defence Security Corps (DSC) jawan died by suicide at the Sulur Air Force Station near Coimbatore in the early hours of Sunday.
The deceased, identified as Naik S Sanu, was from Kadumthiruthy near Kannadi in Kerala’s Palakkad district and was posted as a DSC guard at the Air Force Station.
According to police, he reportedly shot himself with his service rifle around 6.10 am while on duty at the 13th tower post of the air base. Fellow servicemen, alarmed by the sudden gunshot, rushed to the spot and found Sanu lying in a pool of blood, the rifle beside him. Air Force police and local law enforcement officers from Sulur immediately reached the site and initiated an investigation. The body was later taken to the Government Medical College and ESI Hospital in Coimbatore for a post-mortem examination, and subsequently handed over to the family.
Sanu’s wife, Indulekha, 42, told police that her husband had been under significant mental stress in recent weeks. During a short visit to his hometown two weeks earlier, he had sought medical help for depression and was prescribed counselling and medication. However, he reportedly discontinued the medication after two days and returned to duty on October 12. “He told me over a video call that he was not feeling well mentally,” Indulekha told the police in her statement. Around 7.15 am on Sunday, one of Sanu’s colleagues called her to inform that he had been found dead after a gunshot was heard from his post.
Police said a case has been registered under Section 194 (police to enquire and report on suicide, etc.) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita based on Indulekha’s complaint.
“Preliminary inquiries suggest the incident was the result of personal mental distress. There was no indication of foul play,” a senior officer said. Sanu had served in the armed forces for over two decades before joining the Defence Security Corps, a unit primarily tasked with protecting defence establishments.
Authorities at the Sulur Air Force Station said a detailed internal inquiry is underway.
Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority.
Expertise
Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews.
Key Coverage Areas:
State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor.
Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties.
Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu.
Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail.
His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism.
Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More
