Rajouri firing

SIX months after an Army jawan shot dead four of his colleagues at the Bathinda military station, a Major opened fire and threw grenades inside a camp in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, injuring three officers. The accused started firing on his colleagues during a shooting practice session and then took shelter in the unit’s armoury, from where he lobbed grenades before he was overpowered. The incident is a grim reminder of the simmering tensions in the armed forces that lead to fratricidal or suicidal reactions.

Even as a Court of Inquiry has been ordered, the Army needs to delve deep into the aggravating circumstances in such cases. In the Bathinda incident, the accused gunner had claimed that he was a victim of sodomy and had gunned down the alleged perpetrators to avenge the atrocity committed against him. In July last year, two Army personnel were killed and two others were injured in fratricidal firing after an altercation at an Army camp at Surankote in the border district of Poonch in J&K.

Such incidents, which have a detrimental effect on the morale of the armed forces, should not be kept hidden under a cloak of secrecy. The authorities’ reluctance to provide precise information often leads to unwarranted speculation. Bringing out the truth is a prerequisite for course correction. Also, there is a dire need to improve the grievance redressal mechanism and take pre-emptive steps to avert a flare-up. Soldiers work under gruelling conditions, especially those posted in border areas. Acute stress makes them vulnerable physically as well as mentally. The focus should be on addressing their requirements in a time-bound manner and encouraging them to seek psychiatric help or therapy when confronted with mental health issues. When it comes to the Army, an unstable soldier is an unacceptable teammate.