Soldiers are not Chowkidars; take their lives seriously
In the suicide attack carried out by a terrorist in Pulwama few weeks ago, 40 of our CRPF jawans were killed. We still have not come out of that shock and another incident has been reported from paramilitary camp in Udhampur of Jammu Kashmir on Wednesday night. A CRPF Jawan has shot dead three of his superiors and attempted to kill himself too at the end. It is said that the jawan has a psychological condition that prompted him to do so. Unfortunately our soldiers are causing big damage and killing themselves over complications relating to their mental health. The number of soldiers who kill themselves is higher than the ones that get killed in the warfront, as per a report submitted to the home ministry to the parliamentary committee last year.
In the last six years, more than 700 soldiers have committed suicide in para military troupes in our country. This is the case of paramilitary such as CRPF. But the situation is not any different in defence sector either. Last year alone, 80 soldiers have committed suicide including 8 from navy, and 16 from Army. In 2017, 75 soldiers had committed suicide and 104 had killed themselves in 2016. As per defence ministry data, about 348 soldiers have ended lives between 2014-17 while on duty.
Unfortunately our BSF, CRPF, CAPF, ITBP, SSB and other security agencies lose more men to suicide than in operations. Another concerning issue is many recruited soldiers are quitting service midway even before the completion of their term. For instance about 44,000 men left service either by resignation or voluntary retirement between 2009 and 2012. This has raised some serious questions about internal aspects of our armed forces. Working in such agencies is not the same as working elsewhere. Those men carry the responsibility of the entire nation on their shoulders. It is the responsibility of every citizen to be concerned about their welfare. Every time a soldier kills himself, a possible reason is given. But such issues are not as simple as they seem at the outset.
Senior officers of different defence forces have conducted a study into the matter and have found a few reasons that led the soldiers into such extreme steps. For example: people serving in security forces have to stay far from their families and friends. A normal jawan spends 25 years of his 30 year service period on the line of duty. He gets less than five years to be with his family. To reach home during their month-long holiday takes many days if they hail from remote parts of India. In the next few days, he has to again return to his workplace. Weather is too adverse in places like North East and Kashmir. Mind and body both undergo a lot of uncertainties when serving in such areas.
Jawans and those working under their category do not get any better facilities as the higher officers do. Many people in these forces have a lot of simmering discontentment regarding this. Repeated transfers lead to mental stress. Jawans are angry about the lowly comments and mental torture they have to hear from their seniors. They hate doing personal tasks for their seniors. Promotion hardly comes by and even if a jawan is most diligent, he has to wait at least for 15-20 years till he is promoted. This leads to major feeling of discontentment.
The limitations within security forces are the reason why jawans are subjected to harassment. Government and senior officers have taken up a few reconciliatory steps to fix this disparity. Services of mental health professionals has been sought to address many issues during times when they leave on holiday, come back from home and at the time of their joining. This gives them some solace. Uniforms and food has been improved, and family accommodation is being provided to those who are newly married and been posted by the border. Yoga, sports and entertainment opportunities have been increased. But none of these have brought any solace to the soldiers who feel these are just bare compensation.
At the same time, vacant positions across the army are another reason for increased pressure on soldiers. About 61,000 recruitments are awaited. CRPF needs 18,000, BSF needs 11,000, CISF needs 3,182, UTBP needs 5,786, Sashastra Seemabal needs 18,942, Assam Rifles needs 3,840 posts to be filled up. As of now the soldiers have to cover up for those posts too which have been lying vacant. Hence they face additional work pressure. These posts are to be filled on priority. Staff of security agencies are the ones that guard us with their lives. It is the duty of the country to provide them with proper facilities. Our central government, especially the defence ministry has to do the needful since this is the question of India’s safety.
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Kalaburagi bench of Karnataka High Court upholds rejection of Lok Sabha nomination papers
Kalaburagi: It has been reported that the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court convened an emergency session late into the night to address a crucial petition regarding the Lok Sabha election candidate's nomination papers. The court upheld the decision of the Election Commission to reject the nomination papers.
The petitioner, A. Rabindra, had submitted his candidacy for the Kalaburagi Lok Sabha constituency as an independent candidate. However, his nomination faced rejection on Sunday, April 21st. In response, Rabindra opted to approach the High Court. Given the urgency of the matter and the court's holiday on Sunday, Rabindra submitted an affidavit requesting an expedited hearing on Monday, April 22nd.
The High Court deliberated on the case at 4 pm on Tuesday, April 23rd, and initially ordered the Election Commission to accept Rabindra's nomination papers. However, the Election Commission challenged this decision and appealed to a two-judge bench of the Kalaburagi bench of the Karnataka High Court.
Subsequently, the court reconvened for a hearing at approximately 10:30 pm on Tuesday, ultimately upholding the original decision to reject Rabindra's nomination.
