Alarming Suicide Rate Amongst Indians

[Ajaxpaul]

this is capitalism for you
couple it with nonstop media barrage of what is happening around the world, presenting opinions and allegations as proof and Western mentality of and live today with total selfishness and unrealistic expectations and wants due to advertisement…..!!!

What you get? Mental breakdowns and suicides Indians have just stepped into the capitalistic highway and its not for the faint hearted living like drones working extra hours and being thankful for not getting fired with constant financial worries….
“evil “ socialism is defeated hurray!!! Now buy a multinational drink, watch an international channel and then eat some stale and tasteless food mass produced from god knows what and sit half aware in front of a PC or a TV and then realise its time to go to bed and by the time you go in deep sleep the sharp alarm clock wakes you up………..

Already thinking about catching your train or bus or worrying about traffic (& cops) if you are driving yourself and then the stern face of your boss and emotionless faces of your colleagues, just another day at work..

This why every man should learn how to cook and go to sleep with a girl ( wife )

 

[Irfan Baloch]

This why every man should learn how to cook and go to sleep with a girl ( wife )

only compunding the problem
now you got another soul to worry about

 

[livingdead]

What, not even a slight comprehension for the poor Farmers.?? !!
More than merely discussing suicides amongst the armed forces, the subject touches the discontent amongst Indian society.

Talking about wider society suicide rate is not that worrisome.(Compared to other countries).
The author is missing another three big causes of suicide, failure in love, exam pressure and shaktiman.

What about pakistan, ignoring the sucide bomber population, how many suicide deaths happen in pakistan(if there is any statistics available)

 

[Windjammer]

Talking about wider society suicide rate is not that worrisome.(Compared to other countries).
The author is missing another three big causes of suicide, failure in love, exam pressure and shaktiman.

What about pakistan, ignoring the sucide bomber population, how many suicide deaths happen in pakistan(if there is any statistics available)

Is it really that difficult to comprehend that we are at a war footing.... kill or be killed.....the suicide bombers are not blowing themselves up through pressure or discontent, rather as a method of counter attack. When a soldier turns his gun on himself or a farmer resrts to drinking pesticides, they only take themselves out of equation, but a suicide bomber wants to take others out through revenge. There is a difference between one dying a natural death than one jumping off a bridge, and in a war like scenario, you can be killed by a bullet, rocket or a bomb.

 

[Windjammer]

Rajat Pandit.

Indian armed forces continue to haemorrhage, and badly at that, even without going to war. Army, Navy and IAF together are losing well over 500 men every year, with counter-terrorism, road accidents and suicides being the main killers.

While the yearly tolls due to terrorism and road accidents have been brought somewhat under control over the last few years, though they are still unacceptably high, stress-related deaths or suicides continue to hover around the 130-140 mark.

Latest figures, provided to Parliament by defence minister A K Antony on Monday, show that over 70 soldiers have already committed suicide this year. Since 2005, around 780 people have taken the extreme step of ending their lives in the highly-disciplined environs of the armed forces.

While the figure for suicides stood at 142 in 2007, it climbed to 150 in 2008. It dipped to 111 in 2009, before climbing up again to 130 last year. “Fragging” or to kill a fellow soldier or superior, too, also continues to account for a few deaths every year.

All this shows that the much-touted measures put in place by the defence ministry, with Antony himself taking personal interest, to curb stress-related deaths are not working too well.

Senior officials contend that while prolonged deployment in counter-insurgency operations in J&K and North-East do tell on the physical endurance and mental health of soldiers, the main reasons for the high suicide rate are “domestic, family and financial problems”.

“Posted far away from their native places, jawans come under tremendous stress for their inability to take care of the problems facing their families back home, be it property disputes, financial, marital or otherwise,” said an official.

Antony, in fact, has repeatedly written to all chief ministers to make state civil administrations more responsive to grievances of serving soldiers and their families, who mostly come from rural areas.

The Army, in turn, contends the suicide rate is “much higher” in the armed forces of developed countries. “The suicide rate in the Indian Army was 6.7 per lakh in 2009, lower than the national average of 11 per lakh. The suicide rate in armies of France, US and Britain was 19, 17 and 14 per lakh, respectively,” said a senior officer.

MoD, on its part, has taken several steps which range from appointment of psychological counsellors and augmentation of psychiatric centres in J&K and North-East to grant of liberal leave to jawans and yoga training.

Something also has to be done about the erosion in the quality of leadership in the forces. A study by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research, in fact, held that “perceived humiliation and harassment, over and above occupational and familial causes”, at the hands of their superiors often serves as the final “trigger” in stress-related cases in the armed forces.
-via The Times of India.

Suicides remain a big killer in armed forces; toll already over 70 this year « Indian Military News

 

[Kalyugi Mirza]

During my recent visit to India I came across some interesting news, which has been in my mind ever since. For the Indian media it was not that important - they printed it in some corner in the inside pages, to fill some empty space, while the electronic media did not bother to report it at all.
I am talking about the high suicide rate among India's central forces that guard its border and look after its internal security. This rate is also very high among India's farmers, who feed the country.

Of the two, news about suicides on India's farms have been doing the rounds for some time now, but what I found surprising is that it is also very high in the security forces.

Media reports note that every 30 minutes, a farmer commits suicide in India.

Following is, further, the number of suicides by security forces: 38 suicides in CRPF (Central Reserve Police Force - like our own RCMP in Canada); 36 suicides in BSF (Border Security Force); 11 in SSB (Sashastra Seema Bal - Armed Border Force); 10 in CISS (Central Industrial Security Force); 8 in Assam Rifles; 4 in ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police); and 2 suicides in NSG (National Security Guard).

The above figures are for the first 10 months of 2011 (so the number would likely have grown by year-end) from a combined personnel strength of less than 500,000. The figure does not include the personnel from the regular Army, Air Force and Navy; it also does not include the numbers from fratricide, or family murders.

Further, more than 8,500 personnel opted for VRS (Voluntary Retirement Scheme) because they were unable to cope with the workplace environment, and persuaded themselves to opt for VRS rather than commit suicide.

The question that arises is whether it is the Government of India that is to blame, or whether it is the pressure from the new economic revolution in India.

Whatever be the cause, I myself feel it is the human mind that decides to take the fatal step of taking one's own life, perhaps due to depression. But why?

In the Hindu religion, life is defined as a roller-coaster ride with many ups and downs. It is up to the individual mind to take the pressure - though, like in the ride, one has to buckle up and face it with pleasure, in positive spirit.

It is easy to say that life is a reality. But many times one gets the feeling of being helpless. The situation gets beyond the individual's control. This is the time when one's inner self guides one to control the individual's mind. As in the Bhagwat Gita Lord Krishna told Arjun: "Do your duty (Karma) to the best of your ability and leave the rest to Destiny which will follow you automatically."

I always remember that when one's favourite door shuts down, Destiny opens another door for you. And I always believe that whatever happens your way, might also happen for the best for you. So why must one take one's life?

Thoughts generate action, which create reaction. When one concludes that he or she has no purpose to live, that defeatist thought generates the reaction for suicide.

That, I believe, is the job environment in the Indian security forces, or of the farmers' poor conditions, which lead to such high suicide rates. There is meanwhile no meaningful or sympathetic guidance from the Defence authorities, when defending the country overrides the security personnel's personal welfare. And in similar fashion, there is no direct or indirect social/family support to farmers.

Every individual wants happiness. The secret of happiness is that one must first accept that happiness is a journey and not a destination. To be happy one must appreciate the beauty of life. Appreciate the present and live for today only.

Life is not perfect. There is grief and sadness all around. But the mind has to accept the fact that life's ups and downs must not crush the soul, or being in a helpless situation should not hold up our 'Karma'.

These are my views. But in respect of the security personnel who took their lives, had the Government of India/Defence Department acted rightfully and empathetically, these souls, who volunteered for their country, would have been saved.

But the politicians and bureaucrats couldn't care less. There is no debate in Parliament, no comment in media. Their own concern is mafia-style corruption and materialistic happiness for themselves.

South Asian Focus - The Voice of Brampton's South Asian Community

that's sad