By News Agency of Kashmir,
Jammu : Good news for army personnel serving in operational areas, especially in Jammu and Kashmir. Keeping in view the growing incidents of `fragging’, `suicide’ and increasing number of HIV cases in armed forces, union cabinet has decided to construct `family quarters’ for the in-service personnel across the country including Jammu and Kashmir.
Defence sources told News Agency of Kashmir that the union cabinet has approved the construction of nearly 67,000 dwelling units at an estimated cost of Rs 9396 crores in the Phase –II of the Married Accommodation Project.
Under this project the married army personnel would be provided with one dwelling unit each so that they can keep their family with them, while serving in the operational areas.
Out of this, over 58,000 will be for the Army whereas 5238 will be for the IAF and 3107 for the Navy. To be completed by 31 March 2012, the project will provide a major fillip to a large number of jawans and officers by enabling them to stay with their families in many locations, thereby reducing their stress level as has been pointed out in several studies conducted by various agencies.
Sources told NAK that the decision was taken in view of the recent report submitted to the union ministry, wherein it was pointed out that the incidents were on rise due to the inability of the soldiers to remain with their families.
Investigation has revealed that refusal of leaves and using of abusive or derogatory language by a superior are nettlesome matters that lead a soldier to attack his superior or a colleague. One of the latest studies against fragging by the Defence Institute of Psychological Research (DIPR) has stated that troops deployed in counter-insurgency operations in Jammu and Kashmir and NE perceived humiliations and harassment at the hand of their seniors, moreover professional and familial factors have also been forced them to take such extreme steps. Prolonged inter-personal hostility and underlying anger might also be a cause to push the soldier over the brink against another.
While India is known for its disciplined armed forces, numbers of stress-related deaths in the form of suicide and fragging have been increasing in recent years, especially in troubled states of Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India.
The word ‘fragging’ or ‘frag incident’ was a slang used by American troops during the Vietnam War for killing, wounding or deliberate maiming of an unpopular fellow soldier or a superior.
Defence sources said that India witnessed at least ten such incidents in 2007 against 23 in 2006. Most of the incidents were commonly happened in Jammu and Kashmir than NE and over the last five years it has been recorded that more than 100 soldiers died of its fratricidal shoot-out in J&K.
This year alone more than 50 soliders have committed suicide across the state of Jammu and Kashmir till this month. The number was increasing every year, which has worried the defence experts.
Sources said that beside fragging incident, suicide among the belt forces was also on rise. Since January 2006, over 200 stressful soldiers have committed suicide in the state. Among them, as first time in Indian military history a women Army officer, Lt. Sushmita Chakravarty, of 5071 ASC battalion shot herself on June 16, 2006 in Udhampur, the head-quarters of the Northern Command. She was commissioned 10 months before she died and found her job regrettable as she was displeased with the job that was responsible for catering and organizing late night parties. Again that year, on December 1, Lt. Col. Pankaj Jha from 15 Rashtriya Rifles killed himself in Udhampur.
Causative factors of suicide soldier are similar to that of fragging. Issues like non-grant of timely leave, zero-error syndrome, workload, lack of adequate rest, possession of disgraceful disease like HIV/AIDS, and other personal disturbances in their family such as property disputes, financial problems, and marital crisis are the common impinging elements that lead a soldier to kill himself.
However, experts believe that with the new step from the union cabinet the army authorities will certainly check the growing number of such incidents, while at the same time it will also reduce the number of HIV positive cases among the armed forces.