Survey on Suicides, Fratricide by Army Men Released

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, June 8 (UNI) Concerned at the increasing incidents of suicides by Army Jawans, the Defence Ministry has come out with a scientific survey with detailed recommendations to overcome the problem among India's foot soldiers.

The survey, in Jammu&Kashmir and the country's North-East, lasted 50 days. The purpose of the survey was to find out why jawans crack under pressure.

Now the Army has found the answers to the problem of how to stop its men from turning their guns on themselves or their colleagues -- And the answers have been put in a manual.

Every young Company Commander in counter-insurgency areas now has the manual specially prepared by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) for combat stress management.

DIPR Director Manas K Mandal told mediapersons here today that each officer who directly commands troops in areas like Kashmir is being asked to use the manual to prevent suicidal and fratricidal attacks by spotting stress, be a bit understanding when jawans ask for leave and rotate their postings between combat and rest stations.

This apart, the jawans will have professionals to speak to. The Army is setting up a team of counsellers oewards his end.

This, along with improved pay, perks and others facilities will reduce -- if not eliminate -- the problem of suicides and fratricide in the Indian army, contended sources in the Defence Ministry.

In 2006 alone, there were 131 such incidents, prompting the Army to order the scientific study.

''We found three kinds of problems among the jawans -- personal, familial and organisational,'' said Dr Mandal.

''They induce stress from various factors... We identified the issues through extensive field work,'' he added.

Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju had recently admitted that the heightened vigilance and work on the part of the forces were taking its toll on them -- as the troops and at times officers had turned the gun on their colleagues or themselves in depression or anger.

But, he said, the ministry was taking remedial measures.

''The Defence Institute of Psychological Research, which functions under the Defence Research Development Organisation, has concluded a research on our behest and we are in the process of implementing its recommendations'', he said.

The recommendations include more leave and the practice of de-stressing techniques like yoga for the troops.

Besides, in the long-run, the Army will be careful who it recruits and will screen aspiring soldiers for their psychological profile. This screening could be implemented as early as this October.

UNI

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