NEW DEHLI: In a sobering revelation, the Indian government has acknowledged a concerning trend of suicide among its security personnel over the past twelve years.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, recently conveyed to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, that a distressing number of 1,532 individuals from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), Assam Rifles, and the National Security Guard tragically ended their own lives between 2011 and the present.
The disclosure sheds light on the critical importance of addressing the mental health and well-being of those entrusted with safeguarding the nation. These security personnel, who dedicate their lives to maintaining public safety and territorial integrity, often face unique challenges and stressors that can take a toll on their mental health.
Within the timeframe of the last five years, from 2018 to 2022, a disconcerting total of 658 personnel from the Indian Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles (AR) chose to end their lives. Moreover, a staggering 53,336 individuals made the difficult decision to resign from their positions, indicating a potential underlying concern within the ranks.
Although the figures provided offer a glimpse into the depth of the issue, they leave certain significant questions unanswered. The Minister of State for Home Affairs did not specify the number of suicides and resignations within the Indian Army, Rashtriya Rifles, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), and other paramilitary forces during the same period. This information gap underscores the need for more comprehensive data collection and reporting mechanisms to fully understand the scope of the issue across the entire spectrum of security forces.
