Ministry of Defence files reply on handling violence in forces

New Delhi, July 18 (UNI) The Ministry of Defence has filed a reply in the Delhi High Court on a PIL seeking that the government should tackle the issue of growing voilence in the defence services soon.

The reply filed today before the bench of Chief Justice M K Sharma and Justice Sanjiv Khanna states that suicides in the armed forces are generally due to stress, related to the prolonged commitment in counter insurgency operations. This could also be due to the lack of concern shown by superiors to the personal problems of the defence personnels like denial of leave and other problems at home.

The letter states that the Defence Minister had taken note of the growing violence among the defence personnel and had directed the Chief Ministers of all the states to advice the district collectors and the Superindendent of Police at the state and district levels to give a prompt response to their personal problems.

A PIL was filed in the Delhi High Court by lawyer Sunil Kumar seeking redressal of the problems of defence personnel as there was a growing tendency of violence in the defence and other security services especially in the army, police, and para miltary services where soldiers have started killing either their fellow soldiers or their superiors or have developed suicidal tendencies.

The matter will be heard again on October 24.

UNI