CISF jawan kills colleagues: Inside the high-stress life of paramilitary and armed forces

Tuesday’s incident has once again brought the spotlight back on suicides and fratricides in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) as well as the armed forces. We explain why such incidents occur in the forces, what a government-constituted task force found, and what steps have been taken to help mitigate these incidents.

Fratricide in the CAPFs

The CAPFs, which fall under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), comprise the CISF, the Assam Rifles, the Border Security Force, the Central Reserve Police Force, the Indo Tibetan Border Police, the National Security Guard, and the Sashastra Seema Bal.

In the nine years between 2017 and 2025, 64 CAPF personnel were killed in fratricidal incidents and 1,126 personnel died by suicide, according to official data and government records.

A key concern repeatedly flagged in official and internal reviews is that many personnel work for long periods in difficult conditions. These include prolonged deployment in high-risk areas, separation from families, harsh terrain and climate, long duty hours, and limited opportunities for rest and recreation.

Fratricide in the Army

Cases of fratricide are not very common in the Indian Armed Forces, although not unheard of.

Consolidated Parliamentary data between 2019 and 2022 shows that there were seven cases of fratricide in the Indian Army during this period — with two cases each in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and one case in 2022. The IAF reported one case in 2019, and the Indian Navy reported no cases during this period, as per the data.

A separate set of Parliamentary data stated that between 2014 and 2021, there were 18 incidents of fratricide in the Army and two in the IAF.

In 2023, there was a major fratricide case in the Indian Army in which four soldiers of the 80 Medium Regiment were killed inside the Bathinda military station, with a soldier killing his colleagues due to personal animosity.

In October of the same year, a Major of 48 Rashtriya Rifles reportedly opened fire and threw a grenade at fellow personnel, injuring several officers. The Army’s White Knight Corps described the incident as a “likely grenade accident”.

There was another suspected case of fratricide in the Army when a junior commissioned officer was killed in Samba (in Jammu division) in 2025.

Officials said that one of the major reasons for such cases, and even for suicides in the Armed Forces, is combat stress and also stresses in a soldier’s personal life, which are also fueled by prolonged deployments and isolation due to posting in difficult locations.

What did the task force find?

A task force constituted by the MHA in 2022 to study suicides and fratricides in the forces found that personnel may turn violent when they feel their problems are not being addressed.

The task force identified three broad factors behind suicides and fratricides: service conditions, working conditions, and personal or individual issues.

Under service conditions, it found that leave-related problems were a major trigger across the CAPFs. It also flagged discrimination among sub-groups, workplace bullying, abuse, fear of disciplinary or legal action, and poor communication between company commanders and jawans.

Under working conditions, it pointed to extended working hours, inadequate rest and recreation, lack of job satisfaction, isolation, weak social and family support, and the absence of a robust grievance redressal mechanism.

Why is leave such a sensitive issue?

Leave is among the most frequently cited stress points, because CAPF personnel often serve far from home for long stretches. The task force found that denial or delay of leave, especially during family emergencies, can aggravate stress.

In fratricide cases, the task force found that personnel may turn violent when they believe their grievances are not being resolved. It also noted that not getting leave when a family member is critically ill, or in the event of a death in the family, can become a serious provocation.

What were the personal factors cited?

The task force also listed several personal and social factors. These included mental health issues, feelings of hopelessness or depression, stigma around certain diseases, substance abuse, financial problems, marital or family-related problems, groupism, casteism, instigation by others over petty disputes, and the impact of frequent transfers on children’s education. The report also flagged broader morale-related issues such as slow promotions, dissatisfaction over the New Pension Scheme, continuous posting in conflict theatres, limited growth opportunities, and the absence of adequately trained professionals to deal with trauma among personnel.

What has Parliament said on the issue?

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs had noted that CAPF personnel function under considerable duress because of the nature of their duties and postings in harsh climatic conditions. It observed that leave at appropriate intervals is necessary to help personnel spend time with their families and reduce stress. This aligns with the task force’s finding that leave-related stress is one of the major triggers in suicide and fratricide cases.

What steps have been taken for welfare and mental-health support?

The CISF has taken force-specific steps. Earlier this month, it signed a three-year memorandum of understanding with the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), adding a clinical and psychiatric layer to its mental-health support system.

The agreement brings a specialist mental-health institution into the CISF’s welfare framework. IHBAS will provide specialised psychometric assessments for CISF personnel posted in highly sensitive units, including those proposed for deployment at the Parliament House Complex.

Praveer Ranjan, Director General – CISF, said CISF personnel work in exceptionally demanding and high-responsibility environments. “This partnership with IHBAS will significantly strengthen our efforts toward early identification, professional counselling, and timely clinical treatment of mental health concerns. Our absolute focus is to create an organisational culture where seeking professional support is actively encouraged and entirely free from stigma,” he told The Indian Express.

In the case of the armed forces, the government has taken several steps towards stress amelioration amongst troops. This includes deployment of trained psychological counsellors, improvement in the quality of food and clothing, training in stress management, provision of recreational facilities, buddy system, leave concessions, approachability of seniors, facilities for movement of troops from border areas and establishing a grievance redressal mechanism at various levels.

What are the challenges going forward?

The findings show that suicides and fratricides in the CAPFs cannot be explained by a single trigger. They occur owing to multiple factors such as stressful deployment, leave pressures, weak communication, workplace grievances, family separation, mental-health concerns and career-related dissatisfaction.

For both the government and the forces, the challenge is to move beyond reactive responses. Going forward, the task is to build systems that identify distress early, improve access to leave and counselling, strengthen grievance redressal, reduce avoidable humiliation or isolation within units, and make professional help easier to seek without stigma.