- As you are aware, incidents of fratricide in the military and paramilitary forces occur regularly, much to the chagrin of all involved. These forces’ personnel are under tremendous strain because their jobs necessitate undivided attention under stressful conditions while carrying out responsibilities. Most of these personnel, who are stationed in some of the most hostile environments, are frequently separated from their families. The demands of daily border patrol and sentry duties are fraught with energy-sapping pressure that is bound to cause an imbalance in the mental equilibrium of several personnel. It’s no surprise that the accumulated pressure will cause an individual to act inappropriately.
PC: The Indian Express
- Of course, mental health is no longer a taboo subject, but it does necessitate a comprehensive approach and sensitive handling to ensure that any individual(s) suffering is gradually weaned away from negative emotions, including suicidal tendencies. Given this, the recent incident in which a Railway Protection Force jawan killed his superior and others comes as a surprise, raising serious concerns about how the forces deal with mental health issues among their personnel. The question here is why a railway cop with mental health issues was assigned to armed duty with an assault rifle. According to the Railway Protection Force’s mission statement, it aims to ensure safety, security, and public confidence.
- There are unlikely to be takers for this after Monday’s mayhem on the Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express. The jawan terrorized passengers on the moving train for more than 40 minutes as he walked through bogies looking for victims before he was taken into custody. According to the RPF, the jawan suffered from mental health issues. It begs the question of why a mentally disturbed jawan was on duty with an assault rifle. Concerns have been raised, correctly, that the jawan appears to have targeted Muslim passengers as well. But the point is that his state of mind would not have claimed lives if he hadn’t been armed and on duty. Such incidents are not uncommon. Naba Das, Odisha’s health minister, was shot dead by a police officer using his service pistol in January.
PC: PTI
- Undoubtedly, the assassin has mental health issues. The question is whether the leadership has a system in place to deal with the fallout. RPF has now constituted a committee that’s due to report in three weeks. The recommendations should include putting in place a system to ensure that those suffering from mental illnesses are not on duty. The RPF is a body that operates under the auspices of central legislation. It lacks neither power nor attention; it can arrest without a magistrate’s order, and some of its personnel also receive commando training. Nonetheless, it has failed to instill confidence. Is there an adequate system of checks and balances in place to prevent such occurrences and identify troubled personnel across all forces? Unfortunately, the answer is a resounding no.
