Six out of one lakh soldiers victim of suicide, fratricide: DRDO

ODISHA: Cases of suicides and fratricides among Indian soldiers has reduced to six per lakh this year from about 14 per lakh a few years ago, premier defence agency DRDO has said.

In the defence agency's psychological research lab in Delhi, scientists and psychologists are trying to understand the conditions under which soldiers take such extreme steps.

"We have been successful in bringing down the number of such cases from 13-14 per lakh few years ago to 6 per lakh now," Defence Research Development Organisation (DRDO) Director General Dr V K Saraswat said.

"To moderate the tremendous stress under which combat troops live, we are accordingly developing courses to train them and spot those who can be a victim," Saraswat, the Chief Scientific Advisor to the Minister of Defence said.

Pointing out that soldiers stationed in adverse conditions, like those in Siachen, were prone to stress, he said, "They are worried about their family's welfare. Often some of them want to go home to be with their family to take care of household problems. When they don't get leave, they go into stress mode and often take the extreme step."

To make sure that the life of the soldier was comfortable in adverse conditions, DRDO is looking at the physiological needs, psychological aspects, bio-medical requirements, and even ergonomics.