NEW DELHI: Suicides among personnel of the country’s largest paramilitary force, the CRPF, rose to a five-year high in 2025, with 59 deaths recorded during the year, sources said, quoting official data compiled by the force.
The figures, covering the period from 2021 to May 2026, reveal that nearly three-fourths of the suicides occurred while personnel were on duty, they said, adding that the trend indicates more needs to be done by the force’s leadership to address issues relating to stress and mental health among personnel.
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) recorded 57 suicides in 2021, followed by 43 in 2022, 57 in 2023, 46 in 2024 and 59 in 2025. As many as 19 suicides had been reported by May 22, 2026. In all, 281 personnel died by suicide during the period under review.
The data shows that 216 of the 281 deaths, or about 77%, occurred while personnel were on duty, while 65 took place when they were on leave.
According to the sources, the data revealed that on-duty suicides stood at 44 in 2021, 34 in 2022, 48 in 2023, 36 in 2024 and 40 in 2025. Fourteen such cases had been recorded till May 22 this year. Suicides while on leave, meanwhile, stood at 13 in 2021, nine each in 2022 and 2023, 10 in 2024 and 19 in 2025, with five reported till May 22, 2026.
The rise in suicides while on leave in 2025 is particularly notable. The 19 cases were almost twice the number recorded in each of the previous three years. Although on-duty suicides remained substantially higher throughout the period, the increase in off-duty deaths in 2025 marks a departure from the earlier pattern.
The sources attributed this to the fact that in many cases, personnel had difficulties balancing their professional and personal lives.
“Such cases have often been triggered after a jawan rejoined duty after leave or after speaking to family members over the phone before committing suicide,” a source said, adding that professional stress could also contribute to such incidents and in some cases, fratricide.
“The force has introduced several measures over the years to address mental health concerns and prevent suicides. But, the record number of deaths in 2025 is likely to prompt renewed scrutiny of whether existing interventions are adequate and whether further measures are needed,”the source said.
An analysis of the methods used shows that hanging and firearms accounted for 263 of the 281 suicides, or nearly 94%. Hanging was reported in 136 cases, while 127 involved firearms. There were also 14 cases involving poisoning, two involving jumping before a train and two involving cutting of veins.
The annual figures show fluctuations in the preferred method. Hanging accounted for 32 deaths in 2021 and 22 each in 2022, 2023 and 2024, before rising to 30 in 2025. Firearm-related suicides stood at 21 in 2021, fell to 16 in 2022, peaked at 33 in 2023, declined to 22 in 2024 and rose again to 26 in 2025.
A government task force report has identified several personal factors associated with suicides among personnel, including the death of a spouse or family member, marital discord or divorce, financial difficulties and concerns over children’s educational opportunities, the sources said.
The report also underlined that suicide triggers can arise from both family and professional pressures. It also notes that many male personnel may hesitate to discuss personal problems because of fears of ridicule or stigma among peers, they said.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)