Prisoners of the Fine Line on the Freeway

‘‘And there is only so much that can be done. There is a limit to what a human body and mind can endure,’’ he says. Deployed on the borders and in high counter-insurgency zones, the risk factor and the casualty figure are both high. Little respite in the form of leave and long periods of separation from their families only add to the problem. Nor do the personnel get time to update and hone their skills or indulge in the all important R&R (rest and recuperation).

Though not all stressed-out personnel are shooting their seniors or colleagues, cases of misbehaviour — giving expression to their frustrations — are definitely on the rise.

BSF Director-General (DG) Ajai Raj Sharma says that he has ordered a psychiatric study of the personnel in his force following reports of some cases of suicide. ‘‘There have been other cases too where the personnel behaved in an odd manner or extremely abnormally. I ordered the psychiatric evaluation before things got out of hand,’’ he adds.

Sharma, who is expecting the report in a week’s time, says that the issue is going to come up for a detailed discussion in the forthcoming conference of Inspectors-Generals from various forces all over the country.

It is not only the CPOs and paramilitary forces which are working under extreme stress conditions. The policemen deployed in various metros and cities face similar conditions albeit in different circumstances. For example, policemen in Delhi guard VIPs, secure routes and are constantly on the edge answering calls ranging from petty fights to militant bomb threats.

Add to it the large number of cases being handled by policemen. Lower level personnel — constables, head constables and sub-inspectors — each deal with at least 60 cases at any given time. A study done by former police commissioner and now governor Ved Marwah had said that policemen also suffered from low self-esteem. ‘‘Theirs is a classic case of give someone a bad image and he will live up to it,’’ he had stated, explaining cases of corruption and crimes committed by them.

In fact, even cases of multiple drug abuse and alcoholism are on the increase among policemen. Navjyoti, a drug de-addiction and rehabilitation centre established by Kiran Bedi, has at least half-a-dozen policemen and paramilitary personnel in its care at any given time. Project in-charge Dr Rajesh Kumar Goyal says that they mainly treat personnel for alcoholism. ‘‘Other addictions like that to codeine-based cough syrup and tablets, specially pain killers, are also common,’’ he says. However, what is disturbing, according to him, is that most of these personnel come on their own or are brought by their families. Never ever are they referred by their respective organisations.

‘‘Often they don’t have the money or the time to undergo proper treatment. And then they keep on working, keeping their condition a secret,’’ he says, explaining the alarming situation.