Fragging: States must look after jawans' families

New Delhi, Dec 16: Expressing concern over the deaths of soldiers due to mental stress, Defence Minister A K Antony today said he would write to the Chief Ministers to take the responsibility of looking after the families of the jawans on the borders.

Addressing a press conference after paying homage to the martyrs of the 1971 Indo-Pak war on Vijay Diwas at India Gate, Mr Antony said tension among soldiers on the borders was increasing as they were not getting enough emotional support due to the changes in society.

''I will write to the Chief Ministers and urge them to look into the problems of the families of jawans, and the issues relating to their property and education of their children so that the jawans on the borders are tension-free,'' he said.

Dismissing the possibility of reservation in the armed forces, he said recruitment in the armed forces was done on the basis of talent and ability, and there could be no compromise on it.

''The recruitment is open to one and all,'' he added.

He also denied reports that headquarters of the Coast Guard and the Territorial Army at India Gate would be shifted because of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the Capital.

''The question does not arise,'' he said.

UNI