Rise in suicides among the force big concern for UP Police

Lucknow, Aug 20 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Police has chalked out a plan to check the disturbing trend of police personnel committing suicide. Soon its personnel will undergo counselling sessions by professional psychologists at the zonal level to help them overcome depression and anxiety.

Director General of Police O.P. Singh said: "The rising number of suicide in the department is a matter of concern and hence efforts are being made to curb them.

"A meeting was recently held in this connection with experts from the psychology department of Lucknow University. UP Police will be engaging renowned universities to offer remedial measures and give counselling to the policemen."

To ease working pressure on the policemen, the department has decided to introduce the provision for a weekly-off as well. Till now, there was no provision for a weekly off and in almost all cases, the policemen worked for months without a break.

"In most of the situations, the reason for taking the extreme step of suicide is due to personal reasons," Singh said.

"UP Police is a huge force and we have taken number of measures in the welfare of our policemen over the last two years, including their promotion, accommodation and working condition," he added.

The DGP said: "The engaged professional psychologists will be examining policemen to identify whether they are undergoing stress/depression following which, they will be designing therapy to be given to them. Once finalized, policemen will be examined once or twice a month."

Officials sources in the state police force said that though counselling sessions will be open to all in the department, its special focus will be on constables and sub-inspectors, considering their job profiles.

"The counselling sessions will be primarily for constables and sub-inspectors as maximum cases of suicide belong to these two categories in the department," the DGP also said.

"Moreover, they are the ones who are most affected as they have long duty-hours and remain under constant pressure to perform."

Recently, a constable, Arjun Rana, attached with Bijnore Police Lines allegedly shot himself with his service rifle on August 16 in the Collectorate premises.

Another constable Madhup Singh, posted at Balni police station in Baghpat committed suicide at his residence in Ghaziabad on the same day.

In May, a Dial-100 head-constable Sanjeev Balyan, posted at Nagfani police station in Moradabad, had shot himself while on duty.

Earlier in March, a 24-year-old UP Police constable, Arun Kumar, had committed suicide by hanging himself from a tree in Raya area of Mathura.

Kuldeep Singh, a sub-inspector from Kankarkheda area in Meerut, committed suicide at his residence in Deoband area earlier in January.