NEW DELHI: The Army is planning to double the number of psychiatrists and provide leave liberally to the other ranks to curb incidents of fratricidal killings and suicides, estimated at nearly 500 in the past four years. The Army has already revised its evaluation criteria for awards to reduce incidents of fictitious killings of terrorists as also reduce the pressure on its units to achieve a higher kill ratio.

Since 2002, about 400 soldiers and officers, mainly posted in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir, have committed suicide and another 100 have turned the gun on their colleagues before killing themselves. The latest incident took place in Rajouri on Monday where a soldier killed three colleagues and then shot himself dead. Last week too, a similar incident took place in the same area. The subject was deemed serious enough for a full-scale discussion at the meeting of top Army commanders last week.

The Army was forced to spell out its strategy for stress management following alleged suicides by gallantry award winner Capt. Sumit Kohli and a lady officer Lt. Susmita Chakraborthy. Both were posted in J&K. While officers speak freely of the stress of being posted in such areas, officially the Army does not acknowledge this fact. According to Gen. Raj Sujlana of the Army Headquarters, most of the suicides in the past four years have taken place after the troops return from leave. ``These suicides happen more because of marital, financial, medical problems and issues relating to education of children. We have regular interviews of troops after they come back from leave, identify those who have problems and give them counselling.''

In an attempt to ease the pressure on units to show a high body count of terrorists killed, Chief of the Army Staff J. J. Singh has ordered restricting unit citations to the barest minimum to discourage a race between units for recognition by exaggerating their successes. In a well-publicised case, senior officers videographed jawans posing as dead Pakistan soldiers on the Siachen Glacier to impress their superiors. The then chief of the Leh-based 14 Corps was also taken in by the footage and he took it to the Staff College at Wellington for a lecture on effective operations on the glacier.

At the same time, officers also seek appreciation for the tough duties in areas where the State administration has receded.

As Gen. Singh had said recently, ``tonight, one lakh soldiers will be on duty, on the borders with China and Pakistan and in counter-insurgency operations in the North-East and Jammu & Kashmir. Compared to that a few mistakes were committed. I am sure if you compare it with the records of other armies, the extent of our professionalism will be clear.''

While it has reduced ``trophy killings'' of alleged militants, the initiatives to reduce suicides and fratricidal killings are yet to bear fruit.

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