Stressed, alone and overworked

Vineetha Mokkil / TNN / Nov 3, 2006, 01:17 IST

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Spate of suicides and fragging in Army units, operating in J&K paint a picture of an anxious and weary soldier fighting terror in high-risk areas.

JAMMU/SRINAGAR: Army officials may call them "isolated incidents" but the recent spate of suicides and fragging in Army units, operating in Jammu and Kashmir, paint a picture of an anxious and weary soldier fighting terror in high-risk areas.
Five incidents of suicide, and jawans killing seniors occurred within the last 10 days of October in Army units in J&K, in which eight jawans and a lieutenant colonel died.Moreover, since last year, 12 cases of fratricidal killings have been reported in the Army, mostly from units posted in the state.
"Jawans posted in J&K are under constant stress because handling insurgency is different from regular warfare," says Lt General L P Sadotra, Director General Medical Services, Indian Army.
"But, soldiers are trained to deal with this pressure. A study conducted by the Army has revealed that only 0.3% of suicides in the Army are due to operational stress. Domestic problems act as the trigger for extreme behaviour in rest of the cases," says Sadotra.
But he cautions against reading a pattern into the sudden spate of suicides and fragging, which has erupted in the units in J&K, referring to them as "isolated incidents".
Jawans posted in conflict areas are buffeted by several storms. Colonel J S Rana, psychiatrist, Military Hospital, Jammu, says with the breakdown of the joint family, which was an ideal support system, soldiers are anxious about their families left behind at home. "The administration is also indifferent to the welfare of the soldier and his family," says Maj Gen G S Jamwal (retd).

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