Taskforce to study fratricide in CAPF too

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New Delhi, March 8

In view of the back-to-back incidents of fratricide in the Border Security Force (BSF), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has asked the taskforce on suicides in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) to study the reasons behind such killings.

To suggest remedies

Officials say the taskforce will prepare a “case study analysis and (suggest) recommendations” not only for suicide cases, but also on the subject of a trooper targeting his fellow personnel.

25 incidents of fratricide reported from 2019-21

11 of them in CRPF, 9 in BSF

Officials in the MHA said the taskforce, comprising senior officers of the ministry and CAPFs, was constituted a few months ago to look into cases of suicide in the central forces. “Now it will prepare a comprehensive report on incidents of fratricide,” said an official.

The BSF lost five of its personnel in Punjab’s Amritsar camp last Sunday and two in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district the next day.

Officials said the taskforce would prepare a “case study analysis and (suggest) recommendations” not only for suicide cases, but also on the subject of a trooper targeting his fellow personnel.

The taskforce led by IPS officer VSK Kaumudi, Special Secretary (Internal Security), MHA, had been holding regular meetings and the latest one took place last week, they said.

According to the data tabled by the government in Parliament, 25 incidents of fratricide took place in the CAPFs between 2019 and 2021.

The highest number of incidents took place in the CRPF (11) followed by the BSF (nine). The data was silent on the number of deaths in these incidents.