Defence Notes
New Delhi, 30 July 2007
Rising Suicides In Army
RESTORE DIGNITY, IMPROVE PAY
By Col.
(Ret.) P. K. Vasudeva
There has been a sharp rise in suicides in Indian
army in the past five years. The trend in the third largest and one of the best
disciplined armies in the world is a cause of grave concern for the defence
ministry, political leaders, psychiatrists and socio-economic circles besides the
army. Over 100 soldiers took their lives last year alone. This alongwith killings
by subordinates and colleagues has brought shame to the army. The reasons need
to be investigated and remedial measures taken.
Though the army has not fought a full-blown war
in the last three decades, the force is bogged down with fighting domestic
insurgencies, guarding restive borders, responding to authorities request to
quell civil riots, rescue operations during natural calamities like floods and
cyclones, etc which is its secondary
role.
Any suicide is one too many,
but in this case the rate — less
than 10 per 100,000 since 2001 — is not substantially different from the
average for the general population. The rate for the US Army in 2005 was 13.
Indeed, historically modern armies have had to grapple with the problem, with
periodic ups and downs in the rates. Meanwhile, a growing trend of fratricidal
killings within the Indian Army is of greater and immediate concern.
Woman officer, Captain Megha Razdan took her life
by hanging herself at her home in a cantonment area in Jammu. She left a suicide note. Another woman
officer, Lieutenant Sushmita Chakraborty, fatally shot herself at Udhampur, the
northern command headquarters, last June 2006. Pankaj Jha, a medium-level
officer, shot himself with a service revolver. The list includes others such as
Capt Sunit Kohli, Maj Sobha Rani, Lt Sushmita Chatterjee.
The country’s 1.1
million-strong army has recorded an annual average of 100 suicides in recent
years, mainly due to the rigours of combating revolts in Kashmir
and the remote North East. Dozens of soldiers, including officers, have also
been killed by colleagues in quarrels over not being granted leave and other
personal issues. The army has lost
72 soldiers to enemy attacks so far this year and another 32 have been killed
by their colleagues.
Figures reveal that since 2002,
over 450 soldiers have killed themselves, while about 100 died after being shot
by their colleagues in the trouble-torn Jammu and Kashmir. StressKashmir and troops regularly kill their comrades in a
region where a separatist revolt has claimed over 45,000 lives since 1989. levels are high among soldiers posted in
The Ministry of Defence has given the following
figures of suicides: 120 in 2003, 116 in 2004, 119 in 2005 and 132 in 2006. In
fact, concerned over the growing numbers, South Block has written to the Army
to act more liberally in the grant of leave to its soldiers as a stress relieving measure.
The million-strong force, according to analysts,
is under tremendous stress. In fact,
the army is losing more soldiers in these incidents than in action against the
enemy. Most experts attribute the growing stress
to low morale, bad service conditions, lack of adequate home leave,
unattractive pay and a communication gap with superiors. In addition family
problems could also be a factor.
To counter suicides, the Indian
army is giving its soldiers psychology lessons.
About 50 junior officers have now been trained in psychology to help their men
battle the stress. In addition, it
has introduced yoga to soldiers. Manas K Mandal, head of Defence Institute of
Psychological Research, said he had interviewed about 2,000 military personnel
and identified nearly 150 reasons for rising stress
levels.
According to him soldiers should
get counseling, both before they go on leave and on return to help them develop
a strong attachment to their units. Other measures could be such as self-help
steps to de-stress and encouraging soldiers not to shy away from seeking
professional help. Changes would also need to be made in the selection of
troops so that “we get the right man for the right job”.
Spokesman
Col SK Sakhuja says soldiers kill
each other when one of them perceives that they are being harassed by superiors
or when they have heated arguments among themselves. “We have strengthened
formal and informal interaction between soldiers and officers. Leave policy,
especially for soldiers posted in difficult areas, has been liberalised so that
a soldier can go home to sort out his domestic problems,” he says. “Also,
counselling by officers, psychiatrics and religious teachers is being
undertaken.” Delhi-based psychiatrist Achal Bhagat says a combination of stress
and high alcohol consumption could lead to frayed nerves.
According to a study conducted by two Indian
psychiatrists SK Das and S Chaudhry, the commonest psychotic disorder amongst
Indian forces was 38.56 per cent schizophrenia, while alcohol dependence
syndrome is 14.17 per cent and neurotic depression
9.8 per cent were among other disorders driving the personnel to suicide and
killing their own colleagues.
The main causes of the suicides can also be
broadly put across as: First, poor leadership. The armed forces do not need
psychologists and psychiatrists to treat the soldiers. What it needs is proper
leadership who can motivate their men in thick and thin. This poor leadership
is because the intake in the armed forces is the last priority of the youth simply
because of poor service conditions and poor promotion avenues. Despite being competent
individuals, they get poor pay and allowances even after putting 20 to 30 years
of service.
Second, the soldiers’ pay and allowances are less
than that of a skilled labourer in the industry. Though the defence forces are
responsible for maintaining the national sovereignty and integrity of the
country, it is the lowest paid service and in a state of neglect. The soldiers retire
at the age of 34 years after serving 17 years in the Army when their real life starts
for earning and looking after their parents, family and children. The officers
retire at an average age of 52 when they still have domestic responsibilities
to shoulder.
Third, there is no coordination
between the Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Defence otherwise all the
armed forces men and officers could have served unto the age of 58 years
through lateral entry. And last, the downward trend in the warrant of
precedence has brought down the image of the defence services to the lowest
ebb.
It is shocking that the armed
forces are remembered only when there is an internal disturbance or external
threat to the country. Once tackled, the defence forces are forgotten. Unless the service conditions are improved and the honour
and dignity of the armed forces restored, the suicides will continue unabated
resulting in poor demoralizing trend in the services. ---INFA
(Copyright, India
News and Feature Alliance)
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