Some time ago, an inspector came to my office. He requested me to immediately send a constable in the district police back to his home with 60 days’ leave. I asked him what the issue was, to which he replied that the constable was showing signs of severe mental stress on account of being away from home and living under constant anxiety that some unknown person will attack him. He was sent on leave as requested by the inspector. The constable is from Bihar and has been serving in the Arunachal Pradesh Police since 2000. It appeared that with his salary, he could not afford to bring his family here and the leaves granted in the past (last time, 32 days in September 2021) were not enough to compensate for the agony of being away from home.
The stress affecting the mental well-being of uniformed personnel is downplayed and overlooked. Uniformed forces are tightly structured with a command-and-control hierarchy system. A senior officer is the reporting authority for his immediate junior and this junior has to fulfil their tasks with manpower under his/her command. The hierarchy is rarely breached. The system ensures discipline, clarity of roles and accountability. However, it tends to become inhuman, especially to those who cannot communicate their personal issues in an appropriate forum.
In July, The Indian Express reported on a Court of Inquiry’s findings about a case of fratricide at a Border Security Force (BSF) camp in Amritsar. The person who shot his colleagues had shown signs of mental stress but these signs were not given enough attention. He was assigned tasks that may have aggravated the stress. Mental stress is a less-understood medical condition in India. Those who express the problem are termed as weak and are seen as shying away from the rigours of life. In a uniformed setup, subordinate staff do not want to appear weak as the “macho man” stereotype weighs them down.
The constabulary accounts for around 85 per cent of state police and CAPFs. These personnel perform their duties as directed by their seniors. They mostly remain in the background of the organisation with less recognition for their achievements and more frequent persecution for failure. A salary alone may not provide them with enough job satisfaction vis-a-vis the hardships they endure. Good working conditions, leave, allowances and housing should be provided as entitlements. Over the years, more recruitment and better funding have contributed to the fulfilment of some of these entitlements. Yet, there is a long way to go.
To cope with the difficulty of such a setup, personnel often resort to alcoholism and drug abuse. In the latter cases, defaulters are punished as per the law and suitable departmental action is also taken. Bad apples should be eliminated but those with underlying issues must be identified and a different approach adopted. This is where the role of the police leadership comes into the picture. We should strive to create a working environment that provides personal fulfilment to personnel and reduces the chances of mental stress and illness.
As police leaders, we must increase communication with all the ranks. The enforcement of discipline has to go hand-in-hand with concern for staff well-being. Regular sampark sabhas need to be conducted where personnel can air their grievances and proper follow-up action must be taken on all possible issues. The senior’s office should be open to all ranks 24/7. Reward and recognition act as big motivators. Often, the incentive system is at the whim and fancy of the head of the organisation. It has to be formalised in every setup. It has also been established that sports and cultural programmes increase bonhomie and create bonds between personnel, who support each other during crises.
Additionally, during random inspections on the field, friendly communication with personnel on duty does not hurt discipline — it only increases his trust in the leadership and dedication to duty. Dignity at the workplace and pride in the uniform compensate for any lack of resources. But this has to be reinforced with proactive interventions.
I called the constable after a few days to check on him. I suggested that he bring his family here for some time and promised that we will provide whatever help possible.
The writer is an IPS officer serving as Superintendent of Police in Arunachal Pradesh. Views are personal
