Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has been witnessing increasing suicide rates amongst its soldiers. In the three years from 2020-2022, 463 personnel died by suicide in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and Assam Rifles, of which the CRPF accounted for 154 deaths.
Psychiatrists of CRPF have been investigating the root cause of increasing stress and depression in soldiers, concluding them to be marital discord, work-related issues, personal enmity and mental illnesses.ย
Since the causes have been identified, the Government of India brought about a change in the policies, amenities and rules for the CRPF soldiers. All sector headquarters have been instructed to organise awareness programs on mental health during basic in-service training and at various forums. These programs will specifically focus on psychological disorders, suicidal tendencies, and related topics.
The CRPF has decided to start a โChaupalโ like get-together where personnel of all ranks will sit in a circle in civilian clothing and junior officers will get an opportunity to vent their grievances. The chaupal, although informal, has its own ground rules that prevent any soldier from being ridiculed, bullied and suppressed post the sessions.
All the sector headquarters will also make sure that every unit of the CRPF should nominate a suitable member of the force as a family liaison officer (FLO), who should have all the details of family background, character and antecedents of every individual jawan of his concerned unit. The FLO will keep interacting with the family members of jawans, especially after their return from leave.
Collaborating with institutes such as All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) and base hospitals, the CRPF has devised a plan to provide centralised mental health care for each of its personnel.
In conclusion, our protectors need to be heard as well. Fortunately, the government and CRPF management have recognised this need and are assisting their jawans’ mental health.
