NDA & THE OFFICER SELECTION & TRAINING SYSTEM: MVI SPECIAL REVIEW

BUILD LEADERS - NOT BREAK THEM "-- TOI ,23 Nov 2025  A TRUTHFUL REVIEW  

The ToI special news story of Sunday ,23 Nov 2025 is a rare , well researched and truthful news story on NDA and its selection and training system that needs  immediate holistic reviews and reforms to address / rectify the glaring flaws and shortcomings highlighted in this story, amply elaborated and  validated by qualified,  authoritative selectors and trainers . The PDF of the news story is given below:-

THE TIMES OF INDIA ( ALL INDIA )  SUNDAY, 23 NOV 2025 SPECIAL REPORT 

THE MVI SPECIAL REVIEW 

Team Mission Victory India (MVI) analyzed this above ToI article and invited responses from veterans, academicians and even parents of affected  boarded  out  cadets from NDA   to bring forth views of some important stake holders for the grave and challenging  issues confronting NDA and its selection and training systems.  A former Comdt of NDA ,whose tenure was  during the  Covid -19  period in India , responded to the MVI Debate with this response : 

LT GEN ASIT MISTRY, ex Comdt NDA :     

Comments by some people seem to be locked in their “own” time. They do not seem to be aware of the contemporary changes and how much has the system evolved over time. Incidentally, I have seen NDA not only as a cdt or the Commandant but also as a parent. 

Undue emphasis on physical fitness at the time of selection would be misplaced. Invariably, the candidates from RIMC, Sainik Schools, Mil Schools etc, ie the “preparatory schools” have better physical standards at the time of selection vis a vis the candidates from “non preparatory” background ie the so called “civilian kids”. The latter category of candidates would be at an unfair disadvantage if physical prowess or performance (and not the potential) at that point is factored in. It would also potentially deny the armed forces of some exceptional talent merely because of the background. 

The purpose of selection process, particularly the SSB is to assess leadership potential & trainability of candidates irrespective of their background. SSBs are neither designed nor competent to assess physical capabilities/potential of candidates. 

Assessment of physical potential of a candidate falls under the medical charter & is done most rigorously by the competent medical authorities; as per laid down standards & norms. 

The two different aspects of selection process (besides the scholastic part that is assessed through the UPSC Entrance exam) cannot be & should not be mixed up.

The initiation of new Cdts into the tough regime of NDA is done in a very gradual & structured manner. There are enough checks & balances. However, no system is perfect. Occasionally, some breaches could take place but these are promptly & firmly dealt with. One needs to discriminate between wanton practices and aberrations. 

Further, by the end of third term, the gap in the physical performance of both types of entries, ie preparatory & non preparatory; is more or less finished. Subsequent growth & progress is not contingent on the physical standards of a cdt at the time of entry into NDA (that means his background) but purely on his own potential that starts blossoming with the training being imparted at NDA. 

This is not to say that there is no scope for improvement or course correction but public berating of a system that has by and large stood the test of time will not help the matters. 

I am sanguine that there would be underlying medical issues in the drowning accident. Unfortunately, try as we might, all the underlying medical conditions cannot be detected at the time of selection. 

Suicide is a different matter. Both, the environmental & individual factors could contribute to this extreme step. I am sure the investigations in  both cases would get to the bottom of it and the system would incorporate any corrective measures deemed necessary.

RELEVANT RESPONSES FROM VETERANS 

These responses are from veterans who have held instructional appointments at various military training institutions or been in SSBs as selectors and hence relevant input for readers to understand a few aspects of selection and training at military academies.  

BRIG JAY KONNUR ,ex President,  SSB Bangalore: 

Hope the MVI efforts bear fruit and DIPR brings in changes in the selection system. Those clearing NDA written test, should report to nearest unit for a physical test including swimming and only then proceed to SSB.

 Also, we as assessors at SSB more often than not, take a lenient view while clearing NDA candidates under the pretext of longer trainabilty, mouldable being of younger age and overlook shortcomings at times. “ NDA jake thik ho jaega “

AIR CMDE NITIN SATHE ,ex Director Trg NDA & President SSB     

On the flip side, I have seen so many good guys being weeded out in stage -1 due to administrative constraints at some SSB’s. We lose out on a large number of applicants due to this. For this we must equip our selection centres with adequate manpower to take on the load and do away with the first stage of testing. That’s for a start.

Secondly, we need to re-examine the area of 225-270 marks where we tend to push up candidates cleared by only 1/2 assessors. We can organise a seminar/ discussion with all the experts here and outside this group and come up with some concrete workable solutions and strategies for short and long term. 

Bottom line is that- We must have adequate numbers available in our officer cadre in all services. Absolutely cannot do with less.

BRIG JAY KONNUR 

Administratively and technically  impossible to put  350-400 candidates through SSB. Can’t do away with screening. Unfortunately many good candidates are lost. Cannot be denied.

MAJ GEN RAJAN KOCHHAR:    

Gen Mistry has more or less summed up the entire process of SSB and NDA training in a very logical and methodical manner.      It goes beyond saying that no system can achieve 100 percent effectiveness as one most important factor i.e the human brain and mind is involved which is dictated by environmental and emotional strength of each individual. Prevention of suicide can be achieved if there is a closer involvement between cadets and the training staff. In the squadron the Div O and Sqn Cdr will play a crucial role so will be the sensitisation of various cadet appointments. If a squadron is run like an army unit it should pay dividends. One should be aware that cadets come from diverse background and therefore have their own maturity levels and insecurity. This often results in deriving sadistic pleasure by some senior cadets. During my days of NDA I have been a victim of such inhuman treatment. Therefore each cadet will have a different threshold to absorb stress. The much discussed four important principles of emotional intelligence will play an important part viz :  Self Awareness, Self Management, Social Awareness and Empathy and Relationship Management.

COL SHIVAJI RANJAN GHOSH: 

We need to make up our minds. Are our military academies producing soldiers, or are they now redesigned to produce college students? If it is the latter, then why not just shut down the academies and go in for campus placements?

GP CAPT JOHNSON CHACKO:ex Instr DSSC,CDM, AFA,NDA     

Some European countries have a designated preparatory period (2 yrs) before selection to join Armed Forces. Physical fitness is also honed during this period. 

This may fit into the plus 2 stage. The decision to join has to be taken by 10th. Preparatory schools can also provide plus 2 stage of academics. If he doesn't make it, he continues his education. However, to make a cdt physically fit should continue to remain the responsibility of the PT faculty.

BRIG NEIL JOHN,  ex Instr DSSC , NWC , CDM , AWC :            

The issue is not the cadets but please do an audit on the instructors posted by MS branch. Most of them don’t even have the aura of instructors that we grew up with. 

That look is what matters. Conduct comes next and the military bearing is the only thing that cadets emulate when it comes with a flavour of discipline and professionalism. 

I don’t want to sound harsh. But that’s what is missing.

REVEALING THE  SAD &  UGLY SIDE 

MVI interacted with some of the affected medically boarded out cadets from NDA and their parents and sought responses to project their less heard / unheard views as per past precedence and tradition . It was observed that their views individually were literally  "cries in the wilderness " that never reached or heard by concerned authorities thus  validating the Supreme Court verdict of " Being Left High and Dry !" An affected parent of a recently boarded out NDA cadet responded with this response to convey his   true  feelings . This  could  well be considered as  the true  voice of most  affected medically boarded out cadets and also those withdrawn or  forced to resign by the  very same factors, flaws , shortcomings or weaknesses  in the selection and training systems of NDA. 

DR PASHUPATHI NATH -THE VOICE OF AFFECTED PARENTS  

I am not commenting upon the selection procedures or the physical fitness aspects .

My Comments are on a specific comment by an Ex Commandant in the ToI Article dt 23 Nov 2025.

Another former commandant added, “There is no scope for ragging or unscientific practices. Each squadron has officers specifically responsible for cadet welfare, who personally monitor stress and morale. Deviations must be dealt with seriously.”*

If Squadron Officers are indeed so responsible for monitoring stress, morale and the overall well-being of cadets, then how do these casualties, repeated injuries and ragging-related incidents still continue year after year?

If the system  is as robust as claimed, how are cadets still being boarded out with life-altering disabilities often for no fault of their own?

At what point do we stop issuing the same reassuring lines such as “deviations must be dealt with seriously” and start asking the harder questions? 

1. Where did the monitoring mechanism fail?

2. Why were early warning signs not detected?

3. How did unauthorized physical activities escape supervision?

4. Why is accountability almost never seen at the level where it matters?

5. And most importantly …..how many more cadets must pay the price before the gap between policy and reality is acknowledged?

If the training, stress and morale monitoring mechanism was functioning as intended, we would not have hundreds of boarded-out cadets or paralysed cadets or families fighting for recognition and compensation.

The persistence of these incidents is itself a  proof that either the existing system is not sufficient  or is ineffective in its present form and repeating the same assurances does nothing to protect future cadets.

Individual cases of injuries that result in the boarding out of cadets or in extreme cases, the loss of young lives often get reduced to mere numbers in institutional records. But for the cadet whose career ends before it begins and for the families whose hopes and purpose were tied to that child, these are not statistics. These are life-altering tragedies.  And unfortunately they gather dust in files and are conveniently forgotten.

With due respect to all seniors in this group, there is unanimous agreement that whenever negligence, indiscipline or abuse is involved, the culprits must be dealt with seriousness and without hesitation. The question rightly asked is: How many such culprits have paid the price for their misplaced sense of power or the toxic belief that they are the “undisputed king” of a squadron, free to impose unauthorized physical punishment on juniors?

Publicly available data from Parliament and Ministry of Defence responses confirms that over 100 cadets were medically boarded out between 2016–2020 and over 200 cadets have been discharged across NDA, IMA and OTA in the last decade due to serious training-related injuries.

Since the mid 1980s, around 500 cadets have been permanently invalided out due to disabilities suffered during training. Many of these injuries involve permanent disability, including paralysis, severe orthopaedic injuries and long-term functional impairment.

These numbers are too large to dismiss or label as “inevitable outcomes of military training.” They represent a systemic issue that deserves scrutiny.

However, there is no official, publicly disclosed breakup that shows as to how many cadets were injured due to accidents and how many due to training deficiencies and how many due to misconduct, bullying, ragging or unauthorized punishments by seniors.

This absence of transparency is a problem in itself. When the causes of injuries are not clearly classified, every case can be dismissed as a routine “training casualty,” allowing the real damage caused by abuse, negligence or misuse of authority to stay concealed. This lack of differentiation ultimately shields the Institution and the Government from accountability, while the cadets and their families bear the full cost.

THE GRIM REALITY-  AN EYE OPENER!

Mr Nixon Fernando served in NDA over 10 years as a lecturer in Physics and as Counselor of cadets . He was very active on the sports field and extra curricular activities like running ballroom dance and guitar classes  due to which his involvement with cadets,staff and their families was very close.  Infact ,he was the most visible member of the  NDA  academic department and deeply committed to the cadets and their overrall well being . Hence ,what he states below carries sincerity , relevance and truth  . His contribution to the 5 books of the Victory India Campaign ( 2012 - 2019) was  immense.

 NIXON FERNANDO 

The parent hits the nail on the head ! 

"There is no accountability ! "  He points out. 

That is the key point in this issue.

If these cadets are taking 'military training' then bring them under the Army act. I am sure the army act will also hold seniors responsible for something, anything, happening to juniors. 

For the Chetwood motto to work, there is a need for both, senior-ship and a junior-ship to be defined with both having powers and responsibilities. Only then can a cadet test if he is living up to that motto. 

What kind of military training is this where the senior cadet must produce results in squadron competitions, has the power to order his juniors around, has miniscule or no accountability for the welfare of his juniors? 

He has to put the interests of his squadron first, 

Then he  has nothing to worry about the welfare of his juniors. And he has to be bothered with his reputation as a leader who brought the trophy come wind or high weather...

 And if the junior did not co-operate in the process, harass and threaten the junior and arbitrarily raise the level of 'military training' of that junior, challenging the latter to survive in the institution. 

( In the process, sadistic tendencies have a field day; enjoying remarkable power and having no responsibility. )

And some of the outstanding boys of the nation, who qualified, who figured among the first five hundred out of six lakh applicants at NDA entrance  examination... They get accused of being incapable of taking on the 'military training' .

An attrition of 10% means 50 out of these top 500 of the nation did not make the cut?!! 

Everything that is happening in the squadrons is not healthy or scientific.

One cadet gets a senior who makes the junior a 'pal' and shields him from all kinds of funny 'military training'. Another gets a senior who makes him roll down a flight of stairs. 

In the first case the junior makes it as an officer, in the latter case the junior unfortunately gets boarded out. He ends up as another statistic in the list of those who were not 'tough' enough to successfully take on the 'military training'.

In the meanwhile the senior who made the junior roll down the flight of stairs has become an officer in the Armed forces. The DS who was responsible for the cadet, on paper, shares his 'responsibility' with four others in the squadron, and cannot be held accountable ... Nothing binds him legally. Besides, how can he be held accountable if hot headed youngsters in their late teens do funny things in an adrenaline rush. And there is that indemnity bond which the cadet and his parents have signed after all... Effectively even the DS can wash his hands off. 

Have no doubt that you can encounter the finest of humanity and the most cherished of relationships in what would be 'home' for a cadet for three years.... That is what finally holds it together... But such bonds develop in most, if not all, places where people share so much time together... What is so military about it?

So then, what is it that separates a cadet who made it as an officer from one that got boarded out?

Was it his abilities and talents? was it his physical and mental strength? Or then was it good relationships and luck in getting sensible seniors?! 

And if it is going to be good relationships and luck that is going to make an officer then why bother with so much physicality ?

Two phrases are often used to define 'military training', physical toughness and mental toughness....

You could also add emotional toughness to that list.... If it is this that makes a soldier-leader ... And if the training is scientific as the article claims, then please do show us where these often used words are first defined in the context of NDA? Everyone is going about making cadets mentally tough, who knows what that means exactly? And how does the training at NDA scientifically pursue something that is not properly defined in the first place? 

How scientific is the physical toughening if cadets run crosscountry immediately after dinner, if there is endless activity and no space for recovery? 

How scientific is the training if it is designed to build mental toughness in a cadet who has a sadistic senior and not in another who has a senior who is a 'pal'? 

These are just examples. A thorough review will surely dig out more examples to show that it is actually a free-for-all with nothing scientific about it.

Ultimately it just looks like a maze of activity with cadets made to head-lessly run around... Everything just happening in a flow... Where well meaning individuals try to do their best... But no one really knows the totality of what is happening.... 

In fact it may be the opposite... Everyone knows what 'is' happening and what 'should be' happening here... Only that everyone is not on the same page... Each one is a commandant... Each one on his own page... 

So much for a team effort, at training cadets at the NDA, that is supposed to be 'scientific' as the article claims.

A very fundamental review is due... What is the nation really spending money and effort at NDA for? 

If that is not clear in team NDA in the first place, how scientific is the rest of the process going to be?  There is no accountability, it's a free-for-all with people enjoying power and having no responsibility for the juniors. The training is all about the cadet  being mentally and physically tough and there is little awareness of what this actually means. The ones that make it really have the good luck to have reasonable seniors and good relationships... No one is sure whether NDA must produce scholarly military leaders or unquestioning yes men. They are supposed to be kick start leaders or self-start leaders? Is NDA supposed to be a feeder to the finishing academies or is it supposed to be a substitute for them--and to what extent? 

Confusion reigns supreme... How scientific is that? 

INJURIES ,CARE   & MEDICAL FITNESS  OF CADETS 

The injuries , medical care and  fitness of cadets is the responsibility of MH Khadakwasla which has all the required facilities for the same . However, what actually happens for the care and well being of cadets leaves much to be desired with a lot of scope for improvement. This is exactly what is  well articulated by this response from a former CO of MH Khadakwasla. 

Col (Dr) IVS Gahlot, Former CO

MH Khadakwasla

The well crafted article on NDA immediately after two casualties questioning the aim of cradle of leadership (NDA) in “building leaders, not breaking them”. 

2018 report of HQ IDS and NDA revealing quitting of 1266 cadets wef Jan 2008 to Nov 2017 years (16-20% of intake every year) and Honourable Defence Minister’s statement in Lok Sabha regarding 211 cadets discharged from NDA, IMA & both OTAs in last 10 years on disability and medical grounds is shocking. The Times of India report stimulate us to rethink on selection and training of cadets to avoid wastage of brilliant and motivated youth aspiring to become  military leaders.

What can we do?

We can rethink  to review and  make our selection system and training  systems  of much more  scientific nature for our  youth to reduce / minimise  injuries both physical & psychological in nature. 

The following suggestions may be considered:- 

The Physical aspect:

1. Cadets may be tested prior to selection for physical strength and endurance by trained selectors using scientific methods. Services of sports medicine specialist may be sought at SSB level. 

2. ⁠Ist term cadets may not be mixed with senior cadets to enable PT and Drill ustads to train them in slow and gradual manner so as to avoid physical, mental and cultural shock leading to high percentage of cadets quitting training prematurely despite capacity and capability.

3. ⁠Cross-country is an important event of NDA training. But planning of cross-country event date and practice is done in most unscientific manner.  With my experience and study during my tenure as CO MH Khadakwasla it was found out that whenever cross-country is planned on 4th/5th/6th Sunday of a  term, number of stress injuries were much more than when planned after 14th/15th/16th Sundays of the term. 

Another factor is unscientific manner of practice by cadets under the supervision of untrained senior cadets without application of mind in the name of squadron traditions/ethos.

4. ⁠Punishment policy: is another factor leading to further physical and emotional stress among junior cadets leading to physical & emotional injuries resulting quitting/ medically boarding out of academies.

5. ⁠Unofficial, unstructured training ie. ragging by senior cadets in the name of buddy system is another very important factor leading to injuries, disabilities resulting quitting and medically boarding out.

6. ⁠Missing of meals further weaken the cadets physically and emotionally. One thousand meals per day were found to be missed by cadets 

in study conducted during my tenure in 2013.

 Solutions:-

Institutional  &  Services  Reviews & Reforms :-

1. A high level committee headed by retired supreme/high court judge be ordered by Honourable Supreme Court of India as SUO MOTO hearing is already in progress for welfare of medically invalidated Ex-cadets.

2. ⁠UPSC and SSBs must decide parameters both physical and mental for young boys and girls aspiring to become military officers.

3. ⁠Aspiring candidates may be given time to prepare for the same.

4. ⁠Psychological assessment at SSBs be done by a team of independent psychologists trained at DIPR (DRDO Lab).

4. ⁠Independent team of qualified psychologists trained at DIPR be available to give them emotional support during training in military academies.

5. Training of trainers: All instructors including officers be given al least 3-4 weeks training before confirmation. We have started giving briefing on nutrition, physical exercises, causes of stress injuries and other medical & psychological problems to all types of instructors during 2013-14. Results were positive. 

6. ⁠Tenure of Commandants be fixed at least for three  years instead of musical chair game of adjusting senior officers. Once tenure is fixed commandant will be able to do some  justice to young cadets training and development during his  term and  to his chair & job as well!

THE WAY OUT & FORWARD 

For past  15  years enough has been written and said about NDA and its selection and training systems . The Pune Print media  and  national  magazines like Geopolitics, Force  and Fauji India ,have also  reported about the same for last  15 years and yet no worthwhile / concrete changes have taken place on ground ! Why ? The main reason is lack of awareness ,lack of continuity of positive efforts and lack of overrall concern and coordination of efforts of three services and academic faculty of NDA and their hierarchies- the Service HQs , MoD ,DRDO / DIPR  / SSBs and also UPSC . All stakeholders need to be adequately aware of the seriousness of these issues and its impact on the quality of our military leadership ,especially at take off level.

All  the drawbacks ,shortcomings ,weaknesses and lacunas are well documented in the 5 volumes of Victory India Campaign books ( 2012 - 2019) and also the Approach Paper of 2015 which is  now   on the tables of CDS, COAS, CNS, CAS and even Comdt NDA ! Can these  critcal stake holders get their act together and save their alma mater from further decay and deteoration ? The INA and CTW / TES  ( CME,MCEME & MCTE)  entry-level scheme( that is just 20 years old ) and has the  same 4 years training duration ,  have gone well ahead of NDA ! Don't believe it ? Ask the users - the three  services . The ongoing Suo Motu Case at Supreme Court of India for   700 disabled medically boarded out cadets is the most visible symptom   of the flaws in NDA and other military academies too . Addressing this symptom is now the task / challenge before the apex court . The root causes for the high rate of wastage of cadets , especially at NDA has to be addressed  mainly by the CDS, COAS,CNS and CAS .The NDA by itself can do very little about  its own problems . The DIPR/ DRDO ,  UPSC and  MOD  also need to extend all cooperation,support and supervision to help NDA address / resolve its issues to improve the quality of its intake and final product to the finishing academies and three  services  !