India: Stress seen as major cause of military fratricides, suicides

The arrest of an Indian soldier over the killing of four others at a military base has brought into focus the issue of fratricide in the country's military and paramilitary forces.

Fratricide, in military parlance, refers to a soldier or security personnel killing their own colleagues.

Multiple studies over the last two decades have attributed fratricides and suicides in India’s armed forces to stress and depression.

On Monday, police in the northern border state of Punjab said they had arrested the soldier at Bathinda military base following the killing of four colleagues at the base last week.

The army said the soldier had "confessed to his involvement" in stealing an assault rifle and killing four colleagues, and that "initial investigations indicate that this was apparently due to personal reasons or animosity".

The Indian army did not respond to a request for comment on the issue of fratricides.

India's army, navy and air force have together lost more than 800 personnel to suicide since 2017, the defence ministry said in July 2022.

The Indian military has about 1.4 million active personnel.

“Presently more than half of Indian Army personnel seem to be under severe stress," it said, adding long exposure to counter insurgency and counter terrorism work was a factor.