New Delhi: As many as 1,532 Central armed police forces (CAPF) personnel have died by suicide since 2011, with 71 of them taking the extreme step in 2023 and 636 between 2019-2023, the government said in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
According to the statistics from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 71 CAPF personnel ended their lives in 2023, 136 in 2022, 157 in 2021, 143 in 2020, 129 in 2019, 96 in 2018, 125 in 2017, 92 in 2016, 108 in 2015, 125 in 2014, 113 in 2013, 118 in 2012 and 119 in 2011.
This information came in as a written response from Nityanand Rai, Minister of State for Home Affairs while replying to a question from Rashtriya Loktantrik Party MP, Hanuman Beliwal enquiring about the "details and the number of cases of suicides committed by Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) personnel since 2011."
On 'whether the Government is aware of any such cases caused due to harassment by the system', Rai in his reply noted that "No such cases caused due to harassment by the system have been reported."
"A Task Force has been set up to identify relevant risk factors as well as relevant risk groups and to suggest remedial measures for prevention of suicides and fratricides in CAPFs & Assam Rifles (AR). The report of the Task Force is awaited", Rai replied to a question on 'whether the Government has constituted any task force or committee to identify the reasons behind such cases.'
It is pertinent to note here that early in February, it was reported that bullying at the workplace, fear of initiation of disciplinary or legal action, service conditions, and a few other issues are some of the reasons cited by a task force formed to look into suicide and fratricide cases in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
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