RAIPUR: As many as 50 security personnel, including those from paramilitary forces, committed suicide in Chhattisgarh in the last two years, the state Assembly was informed on Wednesday.
In a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Ajay Chandrakar, Home Minister Tamradhwaj Sahu said two incidents of `fratricide' also took place during this period, claiming eight lives.
"Fifty police personnel, including those from state and paramilitary forces, have committed suicide so far since 2018.
"Besides, eight security personnel, including six from Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), were killed in two incidents of fratricide during this period," the reply said.
Twenty-two security personnel committed suicide in 2018, 26 in 2019 and two this year.
Of these, 18 cases were reported from the six districts of naxal-affected Bastar division.
In most cases, the reasons for the extreme step were family issues or health problems, the home minister said.
In two separate incidents of fratricide -- a security personnel attacking his colleagues -- six ITBP personnel were killed in Narayanpur on December 4 while two Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) jawans were killed at Mingahcal village of Bijapur district on June 19 last year.
Necessary directives have been issued to all units of security forces to keep the morale of personnel high, the minister said.