The Indian shooting community lost a key figure on Thursday when a respected coach and former Asian Games gold medalist died at age 49 in a New Delhi hospital. Serving as high-performance coach for pistol shooters, he fell ill on the return flight from the ISSF World Cup in Munich, Germany, where the Indian team earned four medals including two gold and two silver. He was taken straight to hospital upon landing, where tests showed the need for a stent procedure, but he did not recover. The National Rifle Association of India confirmed the details through its president. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered condolences, describing the death as a major loss to Indian sports. After a competitive career featuring an Asian Games gold and other international wins, he became junior national pistol coach in 2012 and later high-performance coach for the 25m pistol event in 2025. He received the Dronacharya Award in 2020. His training methods helped develop several leading Indian shooters and emphasized Olympic-level pressure simulation.
