819 Incidents Of Suicide Reported In Armed Forces In Last 5 Years: Centre
NDTV
The Centre said various mechanisms to observe and identify armed forces personnel with problems such as depression and suicidal tendencies are in place.
A total of 819 armed forces personnel died by suicide in the last five years, with the Army reporting a maximum of 642 such cases, according to details provided by the government.
In a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt has said the Indian Air Force reported 148 cases of suicide in the said period, while the number in the Indian Navy was 29.
The minister's reply on Monday came following a question on the number of servicemen and ex-servicemen who committed suicide in the last five years.
"For management of stress and suicides in services, the armed forces are continuously evolving measures to improve the stress mitigating mechanisms. An elaborate mental health programme has been formulated and is in vogue since 2009," Mr Bhatt said.
