NEW DELHI: A PIL in the High Court has sought an urgent rectification of the traditional focus on bravery and physical fitness that largely ignored the stress that affected the mental health of armed police personnel in conflict zones, resulting in an unacceptably high number of suicides and fratricidal acts. incidents
Two retired CRPF members in their PIL said that during 2007-2019, as many as 148 members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), deployed in the Maoist-affected district of Bastar, committed suicide. But the dismal statistics did not prompt the authorities to carry out a proper study to assess the mental health of personnel deployed in the disturbed areas to take concrete preventive measures, they said.
petitioners’ attorney shilpa liza george said in August of last year, Union minister of state for the home Nityananda Rai the states had informed Rajya Sabha that a total of 680 staff members had committed suicide in the last six years. However, the government remained silent on the scrupulous implementation of well-intentioned laws (the Mental Health Act of 2017 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016) in the CAPFs.
Mahavir Petitioners singh yt Unnikrishnan, who retired as CRPF sub-inspectors, asked the SC to order the Union government, as well as the CAPFs, “to periodically carry out specific mental health assessments of all their personnel to ensure that they are not only physically but also mentally healthy.” while on duty.” They said adequate financial and administrative provisions must be made to hire expert psychiatrists to counsel stressed staff and conduct regular tests to assess their mental health.
The petitioners said that the incidents of suicide and fratricide coming to public knowledge are just the tip of the iceberg of the deeper, darker problem that haunts most of the CAPFs and added that even the Indian Armed Forces are not immune to the mental health problems.
Citing data from the National Office of Criminal Records, the petitioners said that as many as 439 CAPF staff members committed suicide between 2014 and 2019, when 220 CAPF staff members died on duty, pointing to a grim situation that required urgent attention.
In reference to the 1,053 million rupees from the Union Home Office Modernization Plan-III, the petitioners said that the CAPFs have not been able to spend the allocated money: they spent Rs 158.98 crore against the available budgeted amount of Rs 619.63 crore. They said the money should be used for the welfare of armed police personnel and the hiring of trained psychiatrists to ensure that all soldiers and CAPF personnel are physically and mentally fit.
Two retired CRPF members in their PIL said that during 2007-2019, as many as 148 members of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), deployed in the Maoist-affected district of Bastar, committed suicide. But the dismal statistics did not prompt the authorities to carry out a proper study to assess the mental health of personnel deployed in the disturbed areas to take concrete preventive measures, they said.
petitioners’ attorney shilpa liza george said in August of last year, Union minister of state for the home Nityananda Rai the states had informed Rajya Sabha that a total of 680 staff members had committed suicide in the last six years. However, the government remained silent on the scrupulous implementation of well-intentioned laws (the Mental Health Act of 2017 and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act of 2016) in the CAPFs.
Mahavir Petitioners singh yt Unnikrishnan, who retired as CRPF sub-inspectors, asked the SC to order the Union government, as well as the CAPFs, “to periodically carry out specific mental health assessments of all their personnel to ensure that they are not only physically but also mentally healthy.” while on duty.” They said adequate financial and administrative provisions must be made to hire expert psychiatrists to counsel stressed staff and conduct regular tests to assess their mental health.
The petitioners said that the incidents of suicide and fratricide coming to public knowledge are just the tip of the iceberg of the deeper, darker problem that haunts most of the CAPFs and added that even the Indian Armed Forces are not immune to the mental health problems.
Citing data from the National Office of Criminal Records, the petitioners said that as many as 439 CAPF staff members committed suicide between 2014 and 2019, when 220 CAPF staff members died on duty, pointing to a grim situation that required urgent attention.
In reference to the 1,053 million rupees from the Union Home Office Modernization Plan-III, the petitioners said that the CAPFs have not been able to spend the allocated money: they spent Rs 158.98 crore against the available budgeted amount of Rs 619.63 crore. They said the money should be used for the welfare of armed police personnel and the hiring of trained psychiatrists to ensure that all soldiers and CAPF personnel are physically and mentally fit.
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