Stressed out on duty, CISF seeks shelter in meditation

The CISF will first approach religious institutions and NGOs to impart training to selected instructors. This core group will then play the role of facilitators to train more instructors who will be posted at airports and other CISF-guarded installations.

The sessions will be part of the early morning physical exercise drill. Official sources said yoga and meditation will also be added to the basic training capsule. While officials agree that this may not be a foolproof measure to prevent more Namdeos, they feel it will at least do good to those who are psychologically on the ‘‘brink.’’

Specifically addressing the state of affairs of contingents posted at airports, CISF is now working out plans to change the composition of personnel in these units. In trying to meet the demands of the AAI and the Bureau of Civil Aviation security, CISF had decided to post young, dynamic, smart and relatively higher-educated constables at airports.

But Namdeo’s flight of frenzy on May 24 prompted a rethink. The absence of senior constables with about 10 to 15 years service, sources said, translates into lower maturity levels in the unit. The average experience of the constabulary stationed at Mumbai airport, for instance, is just around seven years. ‘‘There is a definite logic in the traditional composition of units. Senior constables act as father figures, help keep the anger, rebellious behaviour and violent tendanicies of the younger lot under check,’’ explained a senior CISF official. It is not just the constabulary which has come under sharp focus after the Mumbai incident. A note giving tips on man-management has been circulated to all officers heading CISF units.

Officers have been asked not to keep on hold decisions on matters such as leave and payment of allowances and asked to take quick decisions as delays only accentuate anxiety levels. While not compromising on discipline, the note asks senior officers to show more empathy towards the constabulary.