By IANS
Jammu : In yet another case of suicide in the Indian Army, a soldier shot himself dead while on duty Monday night in a cantonment near Jammu, officials said Tuesday.
The soldier, identified as Rifleman Vishnu Pratap Singh of the Rajputana Rifles, was on sentry duty Monday night in Ratnuchak, about 15 km south of Jammu.
"Around 10.30 p.m. the soldier shot himself in the neck with his service rifle and died on the spot," said an army official.
The soldier was from Bhind in Madhya Pradesh and was 21 years old. He had been serving in the army for the past four years.
The police have registered a case and begun investigations while the army has ordered a separate court of inquiry to ascertain the cause of the incident
According to army sources, the suicide seemed to be for "personal reasons."
On Sunday night, a woman officer, Capt. Megha Razdan had committed suicide by hanging herself in her home in a cantonment near Jammu.
Cases of suicide and fratricidal killing are on the rise in security forces. Over 100 soldiers have died in this manner in the last year. The reasons have been attributed to "prolonged duties in disturbed conditions that causes distress, denial of leave or small fights. The main reason in many recent cases has been family problems."