413 suicides in armed forces since 2012

At least 413 armed forces personnel have committed suicide since 2012, the government said on Friday. The army alone has reported 334 such cases during the period.

The air force was next with 67 suicides, while the navy has reported 12.

The revelation was made by Minister of State for Defence Rao Inderjit Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.

In the same time period, there were eight incidents of fratricide in the army. The air force had one such incident, while Navy reported no such case.

Giving out reasons for such incidents, Singh cited occupational hazards and inability to withstand stress.

"The major reasons for such incidents include occupational hazards, family issues/domestic problems, perceived grievances, personal issues, mental built, financial problems and inability to withstand stress," Singh said.

Asked about psychological counselling to avoid such incidents, he said: "A large number of (military) officers have been trained, as counsellors, to provide psychological counselling to the defence personnel and their families."

In the list of measures taken to avoid such incidents, Singh listed making yoga and meditation a part of routine along with other measures.