New Delhi: As many as 436 personnel of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), Assam Rifles (AR) and the National Security Guard (NSG) died by suicide from 2020-2022 with 144 suicides reported in 2020, 157 in 2021, and 135 in 2022, according to information provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
The CAPFs that comprise various security forces such as the CRPF, CISF, ITBP, SSB, BSF, NSG, and Assam Rifles are deployed in various internal security and border guarding duties.
This information was shared by Nityanand Rai, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs via a written reply while answering a question from BJP MP Sonal Mansingh asking whether Government noticed that the tendency of suicides in our Central security forces has drastically increased urging the Minister to provide further details.
As per the data shared by the MoS, CRPF tops the list with 154 suicides out of which 54 were reported in 2020, 57 in 2021, 43 in 2022 followed by 111 in BSF out of which 30 were reported in 2020, 44 in 2021, 37 in 2022, 63 in CISF out of which 18 were reported in 2020, 21 in 2021 while 24 in 2022 and others.
On whether the Government conducted any thorough study on the reasons for such incidents, Rai responded that "A Task Force has been set up to identify relevant risk factors as well as relevant risk groups and suggest remedial measures for prevention of suicides and fratricides in CAPFs & Assam Rifles (AR). The report of the Task Force is under preparation."
