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Let’s give authorities a chance, says SC on plea for counselling for CAPF jawans
The petition, which sought psychiatric counselling and periodic mental health assessment for soldiers in central armed police forces (CAPF), came up for a hearing before the Supreme Court on Monday
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday allowed a petition seeking psychiatric counselling and periodic mental health assessment for soldiers in central paramilitary forces to be filed as a representation before the Centre after the petitioners, who are ex-servicemen, pointed to the lack of such facilities to be the cause behind increased suicides and fratricide incidents among the armed police forces.
“Let us give authorities a chance,” a bench of justices S Abdul Nazeer and Krishna Murari said after noticing that the petitioners, Mahabir Singh and T Unnikrishnan, who retired long ago from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) directly approached the Supreme Court.
The petition drafted by advocate Manoj V George quoted statistics compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which showed that between 2014 and 2019, over 439 central armed police force personnel died by suicide as compared to 220 personnel killed on duty.
Senior advocate CU Singh who argued the petition said that though the problem is evidently known, there is no remedy provided. He asked the court to consider the petition which urged counsellors be appointed and periodic mental health awareness be conducted within each armed force to prevent the loss of lives.
The petition profiled recent events of fratricide and suicide that showed such incidents to be on the rise.
In August last year, the union minister for state for home affairs Nityanand Rai told Parliament that about 680 personnel of CAPFs such as CRPF, BSF committed suicide in the past six years.
“The shame and fear… also deters personnel requiring mental care to open up,” the petition said.
Referring to ambitious legislations such as the Mental Health Act 2017 and the Rights of Persons with Disability Act 2016, the petitioners added, “It is abundantly clear that the laws are only on paper and concrete action is the need of the hour if these mindless killings have to be stopped among the CAPFs.”
