Suicide deaths rise in paramilitary forces, 100-day leave policy a relief

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Long hours of duty and sleep deprivation are not only making jawans posted with the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) to die by suicide, but also take voluntary retirement before they complete their service. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in data shared with the Rajya Sabha said 730 jawans have died by suicide, and over 55,000 either resigned or took voluntary retirement.


Mainly, death by suicide among jawans is due to personal reasons. The task force that studied reasons for increase in suicide among CAPF personnel said more than 80 per cent of those who died by suicide were reported after they returned home from leave.


"Mainly reasons include the death of a spouse or family member, marital discord or divorce, financial difficulties, and inadequate education opportunities for children," the report said.


To tackle this, the MHA said it has been ensuring more and more personnel get time to spend with their families.


The MHA in the data shared with the Rajya Sabha said 42,797 jawans used this leave policy.


"This year till October, 6,302 personnel spent 100 days with their family," Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha. The figure was 8,636 in 2023, and 7,864 in 2021.


The MHA task force has been asked to take steps for remedial measures to prevent suicide and fratricide in the CAPFs and the Assam Rifles.


Regular interaction of officers with troops to find out and redress their grievances. Ensuring adequate rest and relief by regulating duty hours. Improving living conditions for troops, and providing adequate recreations are some of the suggestions the MHA has recommended.


The report highlights suicide triggers can stem from both family and duty-related issues, with smoother experiences on either front significantly reducing stress among jawans. It noted a lower incidence of suicide attempts among female personnel compared to males, attributing male reluctance in sharing problems for fear of ridicule from peers.


While the report flagged professional challenges as potential triggers, a majority of personnel reported it is not the only cause of deaths by suicide.


The report has suggested key recommendations and the way forward in different forces.


"In different forces, so far, the efforts made towards stress management are haphazard, sporadic and generally not carried to their logical conclusions," the report said.


The task force suggested a transparent leave management system, with leaves reserved at each rank to enable liberal grant of leave. It said a transparent transfer policy is also needed. Inadequate promotional avenues in the service demoralise personnel, and so the promotion policy may be reviewed to boost morale of jawans, the report said.
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