Two Agnivere trainee soldiers, recruited under the short-term Agnepath program and undergoing training at the Assam Regimental Center in Shillong, died due to suspected meningococcal bacterial infection, the Defense Ministry said. Twenty-eight other trainees are under observation at Shillong Military Hospital and their condition is stable.
One of the trainees died last week, and another on Monday, after developing symptoms consistent with meningococcal infection at the military hospital.
Precautionary and containment measures were immediately taken, the Defense Ministry’s Public Relations Office in Shillong said in a statement on Wednesday. “Prophylactic doses of the antibiotic ciprofloxacin were given to all identified individuals as a precaution. Mask wearing and restriction of movement protocols are in place on campus. There is no cause for concern or panic.”
The bacterium Neisseria meningitidis causes meningococcal disease. It can appear as meningitis, an infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, meningococcal septicemia (bloodstream infection), or both. The disease can progress rapidly and has a high mortality rate if left untreated. It is spread by respiratory droplets and close contact, especially in crowded institutional settings such as barracks or hostels.
Authorities have begun contact tracing, chemoprophylaxis, symptom monitoring, and temporary restrictions on large gatherings within the training center as part of standard outbreak response protocol.
The Ministry of Defense has rejected a letter circulating on social media claiming that the Nipah virus was detected at the Agricultural Research Center and Gurkha Training Center (GTC). “The message regarding the discovery of Nipah virus in ARC and GTC is completely false. It is fake and a case of rumour-mongering. There is no such case,” the statement read.
Officials confirmed that the situation is limited to suspected cases of meningococcal infection and is still under control, with medical teams closely monitoring all those in contact.
The authorities urged the public to rely only on official data and refrain from publishing unverified information, while laboratory confirmation and further medical evaluation are ongoing.
