Most suicides in a year by forces in Chhattisgarh

ALARMING DATA RAIPUR: Till Sept, 36 personnel ended their lives

Suicides by security personnel posted in Maoist-hit areas of Chattisgarh have touched 36 this year, shows data compiled up to September 30, the highest in a decade, prompting an official enquiry by the security forces, which are also figuring out possible ways to prevent suicides in their ranks. There were only 12 suicides last year.

The suicides by members of the state police force and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel posted in the state is almost three-times the previous high of 13 in 2009. Data is available only since 2007.

According to the data, which is complied by the Chattisgarh police department, there have been 115 suicides by security personnel posted in Maoist-hit areas in the state since 2007 (up to September 30). This year’s suicides account for almost a third of that.

According to an official posted in the state most suicides are caused by depression, difficulty 30 25 20 15 10 5 State police

Central Armed Police Force

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2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 in getting leave sanctioned, and homesickness. The records broadly categorise 50% of the suicides as having been caused by personal/family reasons, 11% on account of illness, 8% as workrelated, and 13% under other reasons. The remaining 18% are under investigation.

The numbers have rattled the Collecting all available info on deceased via interviews of relatives/friends, as well as attending healthcare personnel, says study in European Psychiatry journal

Life away from families; stress; poor mobile connectivity; alcohol abuse; debt; lack of incentives security establishment and there has been talk of going in for so-called psychological autopsies, to figure out the reason for the suicides.

DM Awasthi, special director general (Naxal operations), Chhattisgarh, told HT that the rise in suicides is “worrying.”