Suicide incidents among Indian troops baffle army

[Nafees]

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28 (APP): Despite measures taken by the Indian Army to control the growing incidents of suicide and fratricide in the force, the incidents have reported an increase in the past few days in this year in occupied Kashmir.
There has been an increase in the incidents of suicide by Indian troops in Jammu region where there is little operational stress on soldiers. The troopers have gone irate and shooting at the colleagues and officers have witnessed an increase in the region, KMS reported.

In the past one-week, five incidents of suicide by the soldiers have been reported in the Jammu region alone in which soldiers committed suicide by firing at themselves with their service rifles, and all such incidents were said to be stress-related.

Though the Indian defence authorities had initiated court of inquiry into all incidents and has also adopted various remedial measures to check such incidents in future, there seems to be no decrease in such incidents.

Regular yoga and meditation classes are being organised by the army authorities to de-stress the soldiers. Even counselling by qualified psychologists is being performed to check their stress levels.

An Indian army doctor while speaking to media men said, “The incidents of suicide are not mainly associated with operational stress, but a majority of them are related to domestic problems.”

He said, “Jammu has witnessed more suicides by troops compared to Kashmir where operational obligations of a soldier are more.”

“Incidents of suicides are a major issue before the Army which has taken various measures to contain it, but we can handle only operational stress, domestic stress being personal in nature is very difficult to handle,” Jammu-based PRO of the Indian ministry of defence said.

Source:Associated Press of Pakistan - Home

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

ISLAMABAD, Jan 28 (APP): Despite measures taken by the Indian Army to control the growing incidents of suicide and fratricide in the force, the incidents have reported an increase in the past few days in this year in occupied Kashmir.
There has been an increase in the incidents of suicide by Indian troops in Jammu region where there is little operational stress on soldiers. The troopers have gone irate and shooting at the colleagues and officers have witnessed an increase in the region, KMS reported.

And what are the measures? A catch all statement.

If suicides are taking place in non operational areas, there is nothing to fret I reckon since they are not operationally linked. So, it is not fighting the terrorists that are causing the problems. No sweat!

Goodness gracious! So much of shooting by irate soldiers! No requirement of terrorist being sent. They are doing the job for the terrorists, right?

In the past one-week, five incidents of suicide by the soldiers have been reported in the Jammu region alone in which soldiers committed suicide by firing at themselves with their service rifles, and all such incidents were said to be stress-related.

So, they are killing themselves and yet this excellent news piece speaks of irate soldiers killing colleagues and officers! Wow! and Double Wow!!

Though the Indian defence authorities had initiated court of inquiry into all incidents and has also adopted various remedial measures to check such incidents in future, there seems to be no decrease in such incidents.

No, the Indian authorities should not have initiated C of Is, right? What a wonderful discovery! It is like telling the people that the moon and the sun rises in the East. This newspaper really take the Pakistanis who read this paper as total fools.

Regular yoga and meditation classes are being organised by the army authorities to de-stress the soldiers. Even counselling by qualified psychologists is being performed to check their stress levels.

Is yoga and feng sui a panacea for all ills? If so, alopathy should be made redundant and banned!

An Indian army doctor while speaking to media men said, “The incidents of suicide are not mainly associated with operational stress, but a majority of them are related to domestic problems.”

Tell me something new!

He said, “Jammu has witnessed more suicides by troops compared to Kashmir where operational obligations of a soldier are more.”

What a discovery! And what a thing for the Pak news to quote as if something terribly novel is being stated.

“Incidents of suicides are a major issue before the Army which has taken various measures to contain it, but we can handle only operational stress, domestic stress being personal in nature is very difficult to handle,” Jammu-based PRO of the Indian ministry of defence said.

Nice.


Nafees,

Obviously , all this is novel to you since you would not know a thing about CI.

 

[QADRI]

AT least 100 Indian soldiers are committing suicide every year and are mainly those fighting insurgents in Kashmir and the north-eastern states, according to India's army chief.

Dozens of soldiers, including officers, have also been killed by their colleagues in Kashmir. Early this week a soldier shot dead an officer at an army camp in Srinagar in the fourth such incident in little more than a week.

“On average we have been having about 100 suicide cases a year in the past four to five years, so this year has been (the) same,” General J J Singh said in Srinagar, Kashmir's summer capital.

“Mainly it (suicide) is in such (insurgency-hit) areas, but they are also happening in areas where there is no insurgency,” local newspapers reported him as saying today.

Indian authorities say they have introduced yoga for soldiers and officers to reduce stress. Singh said counselling is also being provided.

India has a 1.1 million-strong army, the world's second largest after China. It has deployed tens of thousands of soldiers in Kashmir since 1989 to quell a revolt against New Delhi's rule in the mountainous region.

More than 45,000 people including civilians, soldiers and Muslim militants have been killed in the revolt in Kashmir. The region's political separatists put the toll at twice as high.

Indian army suffers 100 suicides a year | Herald Sun

 

[QADRI]

Army jawan commits suicide

JAMMU [IoK], June 14: An Indian army jawan allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with the hook of a ceiling fan inside the army camp in Lakhanpur area of Kathua district today.


The deceased has been identified as Lance Naik Devinder Lal c/o of RT Brigade Lakhanpur.


Police sources said that he hanged himself inside the army camp in the wee hours today.


Police has initiated inquest proceedings under section 174 CrPc.

Cause behind the provocation was not yet ascertained. [Kashmir Times]



Suicide whiff in ‘death’ of armyman


Dibrugarh, [Assam] June 12: The disappearance of Maj. Anurag Sarma, an army doctor, from the army hospital at Dinjan-based headquarters of the 2 Mountain Division, has sent shockwaves through Upper Assam.



Police claimed to have spotted suicide notes near his abandoned vehicle a stone’s throw from Oakland ghat along the Brahmaputra under Rohmoria police station in Dibrugarh.



Based on preliminary findings, the police suspect that he may have committed suicide by plunging into the river.



The body is yet to be fished out.



Dibrugarh superintendent of police, V.K. Ramisetti, said in one of the suicide notes he had requested that the vehicle be handed over to his seniors and even mentioned the name of a colonel.



“In another note, Maj. Sarma had apologised for having taken such an extreme step. He had left some notes for his friends and family. An investigation is on,” Ramisetti said.



“Unless the body is found and a post-mortem conducted, we cannot be sure that he had committed suicide. He could have been abducted,” an army source said.



Though the army remains tightlipped, sources said that stress had led Maj. Sarma to take such an extreme step. “We are yet to find out why Sarma might take such a step. We are still investigating the matter,” a senior army officer based in Dinjan, said.



The army source said Maj. Sarma drove out of Dinjan in his official vehicle last evening after duty hours.



The incident swivelled the spotlight back on a syndrome increasingly worrying army and paramilitary brass: armymen cracking under the strain of tackling militancy. This is especially true of soldiers serving in the Northeast and in Jammu and Kashmir.



Statistics placed by former defence minister Pranab Mukherjee in Parliament in August 2006, showed 66 soldiers committing suicides in 2002, 96 in 2003, 100 in 2004 and 71 till November 2005.



Havildar death: A CRPF havildar, Baljeet Singh, shot himself from his service rifle at Fatasil Ambari area of Guwahati at around 7.30 pm. [The Telegraph,India]




Stress blamed for high suicide, fratricide rates among Indian troops in IHK



By Iftikhar Gilani



NEW DELHI, June 9: Suicide and fratricide rates in the Indian armed forces are highest among troops deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and the northeast because their jobs are “highly demanding”, says a study conducted by scientists of the Defence Institute of Psychological Research.



“We have come across around 150 factors leading to stress among the armed forces,” said institute director Dr Manas K Mandal when releasing the study report here on Saturday.



He also announced that a separate cadre of para-psychologists, like the army medical corps, would be set up. These para-psychologists will be junior commissioned officers (JCOs), specially trained in psychological and behavioural sciences to undertake counselling sessions with soldiers. “Initially, we have trained 50 JCOs in stress management in Delhi, Kolkata and Udhampur,” he said.



Asked if a reduction in troop levels in Jammu and Kashmir and other areas would decrease the suicide and fratricide trend, the Defence Ministry’s top psychologist said the “cumulative stress” resulting from the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was a major cause for soldiers resorting to extreme acts.



He said the job in these theatres was “highly demanding”. The stress could be of a personal, operational, organisational or familial kind. “Or worse, it could be a combination of all these,” said Dr Mandal, who led the scientists undertaking the study.



Mandal said most of the recommendations made by the DIPR on the issue have been accepted by the government and that a psychologist-to-soldier ratio of at least 1:1000 would be needed. Another key suggestion made by the DIPR is that a mobile team of psychologists could be created that would not remain confined to any one area.



The issue of leave for personnel also emerged as one of the key factors contributing to suicides and fratricidal killings. Mandal recommended a new selection system for ranks other than officers. Under the new system, at the selection level itself, negative traits such as short tempers would be judged using state-of-the-art methods.



Mandal said other steps would involve finding ways to improve relationships between soldiers and officers and issuance of clear guidelines that security personnel would have to follow in ambiguous occupational situations.



Statistics since 2001 indicate that the incidence of suicide in the Indian army is nine per 100,000 personnel. Though this is far below that for the country’s general population - 48 for every 100,000 - incidents of fratricidal killing are of far greater and immediate concern. During the last four years, the army over a hundred such incidents.

Kashmir Watch :: Headlines

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

100 commit suicide every year?

An interesting statistics indeed.

Rather cute!

That however is not from the Indian Army!

What is an RT Brigade?

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

Before anyone starts a flame war:

Articles on Pakistani "Soldiers deserting" have been posted, and for the most part been discredited. It is expected that criticism of this piece, and any erroneous facts presented, will also be clarified and discussed in a civil manner.

 

[Energon]

I think the biggest problem is the grossly deficient human resource management policies of the Indian armed forces. There are men serving in these God awful places under trying conditions without getting an opportunity to see their families for years at a time. Low pay doesn't help either.

Also, what makes this situation complex IMO is that the problems faced by officers, NCOs and Jawans are inherently different and only happen to manifest in a similar manner thereby creating the illusion that it is only one set of issues.

Up until a decade ago, seeking employment with the military was a good way to go about getting a stable job; and for many, just the luxury of having two square meals a day. But now with the booming economy, it has dawned upon a lot of soldiers (particularly young officers from middle class families) that financial opportunities elsewhere are exponentially better and serving in the military is turning out to be a huge handicap for the future of their families.

It is also a matter of socioeconomic comparison. In the past, grueling hardships were synonymous with Indian life across the board, and what the soldiers went through wasn't really out of the ordinary (at least they had a good pension plan and enough food to eat). But now that the standard of living for some classes of civilians has increased so rapidly, it suddenly makes the suffering of soldiers seem a lot more unbearable.

The concept of Human development, and the general value bestowed upon life in India has always left much to be desired. Although this is true in almost every walk of life, the impact upon the military is much greater. The best example is how the Government of India who in order to score an international diplomatic victory preferred not to bomb Pakistani supply lines across the LoC (despite that being the military brass' primary recommendation) and instead chose to send human waves of soldiers and officers to fight an uphill battle (literally) against an enemy who was firmly entrenched on high ground. Despite the pathetic intelligence, when the war started it was clear that a victory had to be achieved on the battlefield in order for the current government to stay in power... but then it was also a great opportunity to turn the world opinion in India's favor by not fighting dirty; so basically they wanted to have their cake and eat it too... and the only price to be paid was that in human lives.

Eventually both the desired goals were achieved; but the impact it had on the military must have been pretty significant. The message was clear that the lives of the soldiers were highly expendable for the sake of political gains and subsequent economic benefits which ironically they are excluded from.

So although frequent yoga sessions may provide slight acute relief, it is in no shape or form a long term solution.

 

[Shabaz Sharif]

AgNoStIc MuSliM,

It will be also good if you pay attention to the flames put forward by our neighbourhoods members.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The army has lost 72 soldiers to enemy attacks so far this year. But over 100 soldiers have already taken their lives. In addition, another 32 have been killed by their colleagues.

BBC NEWS | South Asia | Indian army's biggest enemy - stress

The difference is in "every year" and "this year".

It is like, "Choro, Mat Maro" and "Choro mat, Maro!"

Big difference, what?

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

100 commit suicide every year?

An interesting statistics indeed.

Rather cute!

That however is not from the Indian Army!

What is an RT Brigade?

My post was not a flame.

Because it was 100 suicides this year, I found the newspaper's

"this year"

was converted to

"every year"

and so the statistics implied was indeed interesting and made it known that it was not from the Indian Army, which it wasn't.

That is why I posted the BBC link too!

The deceased has been identified as Lance Naik Devinder Lal c/o of RT Brigade Lakhanpur.

I asked what was RT Brigade since there is no Radio Telephony(RT) Bde inthe IA.

 

[Bushroda]

Armed forces personnels often have to work in a much more stressful work environments than other professionals. Couple that with the stress of being away for long times from family, wife & kids can have adverse effect on the psyche. Often when my boss puts undue stress on me I wish for a gun myself. Now imagine an actual gun in the hands of a hot headed soldier who is under stress from his superior... One would have to go..

Suicide in armed forces isn't uncommon. US, UK, France, Italy all have had encountered this problem & still do..

Armed forces' suicides surpass combat deaths
By Sophie Goodchild and Jonathan Owen
Independent, UK
Sunday, 1 April 2007

More servicemen and women have committed suicide over the past two decades than have died in military action, according to new figures.

The latest death toll for those in the armed forces who have taken their own lives has risen to 687 compared with 438 killed during active service in major conflicts such as the Gulf, Afghanistan and Northern Ireland.

Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures released this weekend also reveal that the number of suicides among servicemen and women has risen by at least 49 in a year. This is more than three times the number of soldiers killed since the start of war in Afghanistan in 2001 and has raised fresh concerns about the mental welfare of troops. Those most at risk of taking their own lives are soldiers in their early 20s and teenage army recruits.

The suicide figures are based on research by the Government's Defence Analytical Services Agency (Dasa). Its latest report reveals that between 1984 and 2006, 687 armed-forces personnel killed themselves, a figure that includes 672 men and 15 women. This compares with 638 deaths between 1984 and 2005, and 624 up to 2004.

Dasa says male suicide rates in the forces are lower than in the general population, with the exception of army males under the age of 20. The Army has a higher rate of suicides than the Navy or RAF, particularly for those aged 25 and under. Male soldiers aged 20 to 24 and those aged under 20 have the highest rates of suicide, with 18 deaths and 16 respectively per 100,000 troops. This comes just weeks after opposition MPs demanded action following the disclosure that at least 17 personnel had taken their own lives after seeing action in the Gulf.

Last month, this newspaper highlighted the plight of traumatised troops returning from combat who feel abandoned by the state. Numerous public figures have signed up to The Independent on Sunday's campaign to achieve justice for the victims of post-traumatic stress.

Charities, including Combat Stress and the Royal British Legion, warn that figures of mental illness could rise and that doctors are poor at recognising conditions such as combat stress.

Clive Fairweather, a former SAS colonel, said there is "no doubt the modern Army is exposed to a lot more pressure because there are fewer soldiers".

Suicide in the French armed forces.

Several states, of whom France is one, have been alarmed about suicide in the military. An observational longitudinal cohort study was conducted to check whether the suicide risk in the French army was higher than in the general population and to find out the more prone to self-harm destruction personnel categories. From 1997 to 2000 inclusive, 230 suicides occurred among 315 934 person.years; i.e., the overall annual crude suicide rate was 18.2 per 100 000 active-duty personnel. With the National data for 1999 as reference, army men had a lower suicide risk than men in the overall population of similar age categories (standardised mortality ratio=67). A Poisson regression model showed that the incidence rate in the Gendarmerie was twice as high as in the Land Forces (incidence rate ratio=2.15), that the incidence relative risk increased threefold over 4 years, and that the incidence rate ratio amongst under 25 and from 40 to 44-year-old personnel was almost twice as high as in the 25-29-year-old category. The main suicide methods were use of a firearm (51%) and hanging (28%). Despite a global lower risk than in the general population, certain army categories, i.e., Gendarmerie personnel and young men, deserve specific surveillance and preventive measures.

The annual suicide rate per 100000 active duty personnel for India isn't any higher than US/UK/France.

 

[Tiki Tam Tam]

The issue that one forgets that these suicides in India, not only in the Army, is because the family emotional support that the joint family that ensured that things don't go out of control is no longer there. Instead, each man is now having to solve his own family problems, the joint family system having disappeared in modern times.

Being displaced from the family and in no way being able to control the events, does create immense stress. And today's youth being softer than the earlier days, tend to take the easy way out!

Those who have not lived in a joint family system would not be able to understand the security provided by such a system.

 

[2jessica]

Thanks for the information.There is a very good website that keeps track of your service with a living journal of your years of service that comprises of video, text, and audio messages. They also produce and send you DVDs so that your services can be preserved in chronicles for the future or for any reference. Please contact: www mymilitaryyears com for more information.