Job stress takes toll on forces

Psychiatric disorders related to a high-tension job, constant stress, no leave and loneliness are taking their toll on police and paramilita...

Psychiatric disorders related to a high-tension job, constant stress, no leave and loneliness are taking their toll on police and paramilitary forces in the country.

Though the job profile of the CISF is in no way comparable to that of other armed forces including BSF and CRPF, experts said the shooting of a deputy commandant by constable Ramnarain Namdeo was symptomatic of a bigger malaise.

Consider this:

Court of inquiry in Namdeo case

MUMBAI: The CISF has ordered a court-of-inquiry into Saturday’s incident where a constable posted at the international airport here shot dead his deputy commandant, CISF’s Inspector General (West zone) S.S. Kirpekar said.
‘‘A court of inquiry has been ordered and it will take around 10 to 15 days to be completed,’’ Kirpekar said. Constable R. Namdeo surrendered before Mumbai Police late on Saturday night and was arrested. He was remanded to custody till May 31. —Agencies

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• At any given time, there are almost 100 personnel from various paramilitary forces — mainly BSF and CRPF — undergoing treatment for depression and schizophrenia at the capital’s AIIMS and Safdarjang Hospital. Their need for treatment is recognised only after they attempt suicide or try to kill their seniors when denied leave.

• Unable to take the stressful conditions any longer, at least five personnel of BSF and CRPF seek premature retirement everyday, as per a study conducted by the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D).

• Over 80 per cent of police officers in Delhi are suffering from psychiatric disorders due to hectic schedules and heavy pressure. The shocking disclosure was made by then minister of state for Home Maqbool Dar in Parliament on May 7, 1997, and there is no reason to believe that things have improved.

• According to a NIMHANS, Bangalore, report, more than half of the policemen tested in Delhi and 37 per cent in Bangalore suffer from mental disorders.

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The facts above are startling but should not be true for a force like the CISF.

‘‘A CISF job is not a high tension job like the BSF. Theirs are mainly shift jobs with little pressure. An incident like what happened at Mumbai airport can only be blamed on poor management,’’ said Director General, BSF, Ajai Raj Sharma.

The CISF was mainly responsible for securing government buildings, providing security to VIPs and VVIPs and has recently been given the charge of domestic and international airports.

According to Sharma, it is unfair to compare the CISF with the BSF or CRPF as those forces are wholly deployed in high stress areas including borders and high counter-insurgency zones, with little time for rest and or even training.

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K.P.S. Gill, former Punjab DG, also concurred on the point that incidents like the one at Mumbai airport reflected ‘‘failure of local command. It is basically when the local person, responsible for the welfare of men under him, is not up to the mark, or is partial or too rule-bound.’’

Denial of leave is the main cause for such incidents, be it the Army, paramilitary forces or the police, said Gill. ‘‘Sometimes the need is urgent, and the jawan, already living in stressful conditions, away from his family, breaks down,’’ he explained.

Gill added that: ‘‘Probably in this case, the pressure was a bit more or the constable too sensitive.’’