BSF Initiates Forcible Retirement of Jawans as Action to Counter Suicides and Fratricides

The border guarding agency has been facing a serious challenge of suicides and fratricidal incidents among its jawans.  A Task Force formed by the Home Ministry has said that discrimination among sub-groups, trauma of being abused, bullying at the workplace, fear of initiation of disciplinary or legal action, lack of communication between company commander and jawans, frequent transfers, slow promotions, are some of the reasons for such incidents, reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Debroy.

New Delhi: Puzzled over the incidents of suicides and fratricides, India’s premier border guarding agency, Border Security Force (BSF) has initiated a “forcible retirement” process for its jawans facing “schizophrenia”. The border guarding force has gone ahead and initiated “invalidation proceedings” against around 300 personnel across all units earlier this month after Medical Boards placed them in low medical category (LMC) to assess their “psychiatric” condition.

“The invalidation proceedings in R/O following psychiatric LMC cases of different units have been approved by IG/DIR (Med) and forwarded to concerned headquarters for disposal,” read an internal communication of BSF in possession of ETV Bharat.Schizophrenia is a serious mental disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), schizophrenia causes psychosis and is associated with considerable disability and may affect all areas of life, including personal, family, social, educational and occupational functioning.

As per data, BSF’s 55 Battalion posted in Meghalaya’s Tura with eight cases topped the list of personnel identified as the psychiatric-LMC. The second highest case is in 110 Battalion with seven cases. All these personnel have been issued with show cause notices under Rule 25 of BSF Rules that deal with the retirement of subordinate officers and enrolled persons on grounds of physical unfitness.

The show cause notice in possession of ETV Bharat said, “Whereas you were produced before a duly constituted Medical Board on March 18, 2024, which has examined your medical fitness for the efficient discharge of your duties as constable (general duty). After careful examination, the Medical Board has placed you under low medical category S5H1A1P1E1 with 48 per cent disability due to “Schizophrenia” and declared you medically unfit for further service in the Force.”

The notice further read that the board proceedings have been approved by the Competent Authority i.e. IG/Director (Medical), RK Puram, New Delhi on April 4, 2024. “Whereas I, the undersigned, agree with the findings of the Medical Board and after careful consideration, I have decided to retire you from service on the grounds of physical unfitness under provisions of Rule 25 of BSF Rules,1969,” the notice stated.

The constable was asked to make his representation, along with the medical certificate prescribed in the appendix- “C” of FHQ BSF (Medical Directorate) manual IX from a specialist medical officer and submit to the next superior authority in command within 15 days.“In case no reply is received by the due date under the provision of Rule – 25, sub-rule-4 within the stipulated period, it will be presumed that you have nothing to say in this regard, and you will be retired being a mentally “UNFIT” employed to retain in service,” the notice stated.

Highlighting the issue of retirement on grounds of physical unfitness, the BSF Rules said that where an officer not below the rank of a deputy inspector general considers that an officer of the force is unfit to perform his duties because of his physical conditions, the officer shall be brought before a Medical Board. Where the Medical Board considers the officer to be unfit for service, the Central government shall communicate to the said officer the findings of the Medical Board.

“The Central government may, on receiving the representation from the officer, refer the case to be reviewed by a fresh Medical Board constituted for the purpose and order the retirement of the said officer if the decision of the fresh Medical Board is adverse to him,” the BSF Rules said.

According to the Home Ministry data suicides and incidents of fratricides claimed the lives of at least 175 border guards personnel, including four women in five years. Significantly, a Task Force formed by the Home Ministry to look into growing cases of suicide and fratricides in central armed paramilitary forces in its report had earlier said that discrimination among sub-groups, trauma of being abused, bullying at workplace, fear of initiation of disciplinary or legal action, lack of communication between company commander and jawans, frequent transfers, slow promotions, continuous posting in conflict theatres, dissatisfaction with the new pension scheme, little opportunity for growth and development are some of the reasons for such incidents.

The Task Force found that a high number of 642 personnel, including 10 women from the Central Armed Police Forces, had died by suicide between 2017 and 2021. Over 51 fratricidal incidents took place during the same period. Speaking to this correspondent, renowned clinical psychologist Dr Priyanka Srivastava said that schizophrenia is the highest level of a disorder in mental health. “They (schizophrenic patients) can harm people, they can harm themselves and they live in hallucination,” she said.

Dr Srivastava, however, said that the forces should help their jawans with medical support before taking drastic action. “For these schizophrenia patients at times, we need hospitalisation for a certain period. At times they can even be treated at home. Their families also need to be trained,” said Dr Srivastava.