Worrying statistics on CAPF deaths

Having lost his cool, constable Bhupinder Singh of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) went on a shooting rampage, seriously injuring three of his colleagues in the Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir on July 16 afternoon. He then turned the INSAS rifle on himself and took his life.

On March 6, constable Satteppa Sidappa Kilaragi of the Border Security Force (BSF), suffering from mental disorders, went berserk and shot dead four of his colleagues with his service rifle before being hit himself by a bullet that had ricocheted. He died while under treatment. A day later, head constable Johnson Toppo of the BSF shot dead his colleague head constable H G Shekharan after a heated argument in Murshidabad along the Indo-Bangladesh border. He then shot himself dead.

Incidents of fratricide and suicide have been on the increase in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) comprising the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), National Security Guards (NSG) and Assam Rifles, in recent years. According to data, as many as 25 incidents of fratricide were reported in the CAPF between 2019 and 2021, out of which 13 took place in the CRPF, leading to the death of 16 personnel and injuries to 12 men. Between 2014 and 2019, 220 incidents of fratricide were recorded in the CAPF. The BSF lost 23 of its men in 15 cases of fratricide between 2018 and 2021.

Suicides, too, have been on the rise in recent years. As many as 1,205 personnel of the CAPF ended their lives between 2012 and 2021, with 129 such cases in 2019 which shot up to 143 in 2020 and 156 last year, according to a statement made in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State of Home Nityanand Rai in March.

Between 2018 and 2021, 193 BSF personnel took their lives, 52 of them last year alone, while 194 in the CRPF ended their lives during the same period, with 60 cases last year. Between January 2013 and June 2022, 400 CRPF personnel died by suicide, the maximum of 98 having taken the step when they were deployed in left-wing extremists-affected states. Eighty-three resorted to the extreme step when posted in Jammu and Kashmir while 67 of them killed themselves while based in the Northeast.

Undoubtedly, the hardships, the arduous nature of duties, slow promotions and transfers coupled with frequent movements have driven most of them to take the extreme step. Long duty hours coupled with a lack of recreational facilities and few opportunities of the luxury of staying with their families have had an adverse impact on the psyche of the personnel. Union Home Minister Amit Shah at the anniversary parade of the BSF in Jaisalmer last year announced: “The central government is making efforts so that every soldier who gave his golden time to the country can spend about 100 days in a year with his family. This is a big responsibility of the government which will be fulfilled soon.”

Although this is a commendable step which will ameliorate the situation, its implementation on the ground poses problems.

As it is, in the present situation, when the personnel are entitled to 60 days’ earned leave and another 15 days of casual leave, not all personnel are able to avail the entitled leave for various reasons. The battalions do not have their full strength. Huge vacancies at the company level and the constraints of having to provide operational strength for the conduct of operations deter the officers from sending them on their entitled leave.

Presently, there are 84,405 vacancies in the CAPF. According to Minister Nityanand Rai, there are 29,985 vacancies in the CRPF, 19,254 in the BSF, 10,918 in the CISF, 11,402 in the SSB, 9,659 in Assam Rifles and 3,187 in the ITBP. With such a large number of vacancies, it becomes difficult for officers to maintain operational strength.

Taking a serious view of the suicides and fratricides, the CRPF has from time to time introduced several measures such as yoga, ‘chaupal’ — where officers and men interact in an informal manner and air their grievances — and the Art of Living course.

A task force was set up in October 2021 to study and recommend remedial measures to prevent suicides and fratricides in the CAPF. Its recommendations are awaited and hopefully, it will come out with drastic measures, which is the need of the hour. The Centre should speedily implement its recommendations. Saving lives at any cost should be the priority and that alone should dictate the future course of action.

(The writer is Inspector General of Police (Retd), CRPF)