New Delhi : A total of 228 CRPF jawans committed suicide in the last seven years even as the government said Yoga has been made compulsory for all paramilitary forces, beginning this year.
“Yes, according to available data, 228 jawans of CRPF had committed suicide. The causative factors in most of the cases were found to be generally the personal and domestic problems, like marital discord, personal enmity, mental illness, depression etc.
“In few cases the same could be owing to the work related stress,” Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju told Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
He was asked if these suicides in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), country’s largest central armed police force, took place between 2008-2014.
The CRPF has close to 3-lakh personnel in its ranks. Rijiju added the Ministry has issued instructions to these forces including CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP, SSB and NSG to “incorporate Yoga as part of daily physical exercise in field formations.”
“It would be appropriate to incorporate Yoga as a part of daily routine of paramilitary personnel. This will also help the paramilitary personnel to beat their stress, if any, and keep them physically as well as mentally better off,” he said.
A CRPF jawan allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district today, police said.
Head Constable L R Thakrey, posted with C-company of 179th Battalion, was on sentry duty at Company headquarters at Chinkipora locality of Sopore, 55 kms from here, when he shot himself this morning, a police officer said.
He said the jawan was rushed to a hospital by his colleagues but was pronounced dead by the doctors.
The motive behind the extreme step was not known immediately, the officer said, adding, a case was registered and further investigations are on.
Source : The New Indian Express