Army jawans will now be subjected to a different form of self-discipline — yoga, meditation and psychological counselling.
NEW DELHI: Growing stress levels in the military ranks, resultant suicides and fragging (killing of fellow soldiers) has forced the Indian Army to think of long-term measures to fight the menace.
Over the next few months, army jawans will be subjected to a different form of self-discipline — besides rigorous physical training — yoga, meditation and psychological counselling will be a part of their routine.
Sources said the army has decided to introduce yoga and meditation actively at the unit level. A unit is the most cohesive group of every army formation, comprising about 1,000 soldiers under the command of a colonel. The army also plans to appoint 50 psychological counsellors at the Udhampur-based Northern Command (in charge of counter-insurgency operations in Jammu & Kashmir) and the Kolkata-based Eastern Command (in charge of operations against insurgents in the Northeast), where the stress factor is visible. Sources said the counsellors would be in the rank of Junior Commissioned Officers.
Statistics show that the army has a suicide rate much lower than India’s national average - 10.8 per lakh population compared to the national average of 14 per lakh. Compared to many western armies too, the Indian army fares very well.
Efforts are on to sensitise junior officers and increase interaction between soldiers and their immediate bosses. The army will also ensure that every soldier gets at least a day off every week and grant frequent leave for soldiers posted in stressful areas like Kashmir.
Curiously, many suicides take place immediately after soldiers return from leave. “The increasing trend of nuclear families and resultant pressures affect many of them,” says a senior officer. So, superiors have now been told to interview all soldiers who return from leave to assess their stress level.
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