SCDF NSF who left family in Pakistan to go to Singapore died 2 months after enlistment

He was a Singapore citizen who left his family and friends in Pakistan to fulfil his full-time national service (NS) obligations early last year. Muhammad Ahad Lone dreamt of studying economics and finance at an Ivy League university after serving NS.

However, Ahad, 18, who had been posted to serve his NS with the Singapore Civil Defence Force, said he could not adjust to the weather and cookhouse food, and had trouble sleeping.

Just two months after enlistment, he was found dead on the ground level of his place of residence.

Taking the stand on the first day of the coroner’s inquiry into Ahad’s death at the State Courts on Friday (22 February), police investigator Tan Yeow Chong testified that within seven weeks after Ahad enlisted, he visited doctors in camp and elsewhere 13 times. He had complained about various purported ailments including sore throat, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and insomnia.

When an in-camp doctor asked Ahad on his 14th visit to a clinic if he was stressed, the teenager said he had insomnia for the past two months, was depressed and had suicidal thoughts.

He was sent to the Institute of Mental Health via ambulance, where he was diagnosed with adjustment disorder with depression.

Just a week later, after having spent a night in confinement at the SCDF Basic Rescue Training Centre as a form of punishment, Ahad was found dead at the foot of his rented Pine Grove condo block. He had apparently leapt out of his 15-storey kitchen window.

Indicated depression on day of enlistment

The coroner’s court heard that Ahad was enlisted on 6 February last year.

The same day, he complained to a medical officer about giddiness and vomiting, saying he was not used to the weather and food. He said he had just come to Singapore and could not sleep.

He also filled up an Early Problem Identification and Care Form that day, indicating that he often felt depressed, had tried to harm himself before and was worried about his financial status. He also said he was unable to adapt to the weather, felt lonely and homesick.

Ahad was flagged out to his platoon commander, but he declined to see an SCDF counsellor.

Two weeks later, on his sixth visit to a doctor since his enlistment – this time for calf pain – he was given a memo from the in-camp medical officer allowing him to go to the canteen as he had said he could not get used to eating the cookhouse food.

On 27 March, Ahad had his medical leave privileges restricted as he kept going to the emergency department at National University Hospital for medical certificates whenever he booked out of camp. This meant that he had to report to the in-camp medical centre if he was unwell.

The same day, he was put on three weeks of light duty after complaining of poor sleep.

Still, he visited the in-camp medical centre for the next two days.

On 29 March, he complained of abdominal pain, loose stools, diarrhoea, sore throat and cough. The medical officer queried if he was stressed by non-medical issues. Ahad reported having had insomnia for the past two months, with suicidal thoughts and low mood.

At the IMH, he told a psychiatrist that he had come to Singapore alone to fulfil his NS obligations and found difficulties with the regimentation. He also had thoughts of cutting his wrists twice but made no attempts to carry it through. But his mood would improve whenever he booked out of camp.

Ahad was diagnosed with adjustment disorder with depression and given one day of medical leave, with a follow-up in four to six weeks.

On 2 April, just days before he died, he was referred for a downgrade to PES C9 due to his medical condition.

A few days before he died, Ahad told his buddy that he heard a voice in his head telling him to kill himself. He was also seen behaving unusually and speaking incoherently.

On the day of his death, Ahad had called his landlord to ask to move out the same day. But she found this puzzling as he had told her the day before that he wanted to extend his stay for another six months.

The police investigator said there was nothing to suggest that Ahad had been bullied in camp. There was also no foul play. At the time of his death, his bank account had a balance of $37.88.

Besides the police investigator, other witnesses who will take the stand include Ahad’s unit commander, platoon commander, buddy, and the director of the SCDF’s National Service Training Institute, Colonel Kadir Maideen.

Ahad’s family is represented by lawyers K. Anparasan and Osman Khan from law firm WhiteFern. His family were unable to come to Singapore due to financial constraints.

The inquiry will resume at a later date.

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