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Occupational factors no. 1 cause for suicides in Army: report

Bangalore: A report from the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) on ‘Suicides and Fratricides Among Troops Deployed in Counter Insurgency Areas (CI)’ has indicated that “occupational factors are the number one cause for stress among officers, Junior Commissioned Officers (JCOs) and jawans.”

Commissioned by Defence Minister A.K. Antony in the wake of the growing number of suicides and fratricides among personnel of the 1.3 million-strong Army, the report sought to determine the hidden stress of troops serving in CI operation areas, the reasons that provoke them into suicidal behaviour/fratricide, the causes for the failure of the system which results in such incidents, and to establish whether the problem is at the personal, family or organisational level.

Scientists from the DIPR used questionnaires and interviews, interacting with officers, JCOs and jawans of the 3 Corps (Nagaland and Manipur) and 4 Corps (Assam and Arunachal Pradesh) of the Eastern Command; and the 15 Corps (Srinagar) and 16 Corps (Jammu) of the Northern Command. In all 2001 personnel were contacted.

A rankwise analysis has shown that while officers and JCOs listed familial matters as the second most important factor causing stress, jawans considered lack of basic amenities as the second most important. Again while officers considered “miscellaneous factors like lack of local support, zero error syndrome and less sophisticated weapons” as the third major factor, JCOs indicated a lack of basic amenities, jawans listing familial issues.

The report states: “In the general causative factors of CI stress, occupational factors like increased workload, non-grant of timely leave, lack of adequate sleep and rest, were reported most across ranks, followed by lack of basic amenities, like pay and allowances.” Pressures from the family front “coupled with a host of personal factors ranging from poor mental robustness to alcohol dependency” were regarded as the next two reasons for triggering suicides.

A zonewise analysis has revealed that while all ranks in Northern Command reported occupational factors as the foremost cause of stress, officers listed “staying away from family and lack of basic amenities” as the second and third major factors. Again while JCOs listed lack of basic amenities and familial issues as the second and third most important factors, jawans cited “low pay and allowances and lack of basic necessities like uniforms, woollen clothing and harassment by higher-ups.”

In the Eastern Command it was no different: troops cited occupational factors as the biggest causative factor for stress. They also listed “a lack of basic amenities like unavailability of transport for going back to their places, poor quality uniforms, poor living conditions” as important factors causing stress.

The report’s rankwise analysis of specific causative factors for suicide revealed that while officers regarded “personal causes as prominent precursors of suicide and fratricide,” JCOs and jawans considered “occupational and familial as more important than personal ones.”

While jawans in both commands attributed “perceived humiliation/harassment by higher-ups as a significant trigger for suicides,” officers listed “the lack of cordial relations between the leader and the led” as a problem.

Rankwise analysis also revealed that while “interpersonal relationships between officers and jawans, inadequate basic amenities and occupation were causative factors,” a relaxation of stringent rules regarding duty hours and grant of leave were required if suicides and fratricides were to be prevented.

The report gains significance with the sixth fratricidal killing of the year taking place at Gurez (northern Kashmir) last week. July itself saw three Army personnel posted in Kashmir taking their own lives. Between 2004 and 2006, 408 Army personnel had either taken their own lives or that of colleagues, with 2006 alone witnessing 128 suicides, and 24 instances of fratricides. The trend has continued in 2007 with almost 60 suicides so far.

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