Army officer shoots himself dead in J&K’s Pulwama

An army officer allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon at a military camp in Khonmoh area of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Wednesday.

Lieutenant Colonel Sudeep Bhagat, who was posted at an Army depot in Khonmoh, fired upon himself, officials said. He died on the spot.

The reason behind the suicide was not known immediately as a police party had rushed to the spot to ascertain the details.

Suicides and fratricide incidents were common among security forces personnel deployed in restive Kashmir from the early 1990s till 2010.

A research carried by a leading sociologist of the valley, Prof Bashir Ahmad Dabla, in 2012 had revealed that 1,500-2,000 soldiers committed suicide between 1990-2011.

The majority of the soldiers who committed suicides were married persons and the suicides, the research had revealed. It also stated that the suicides were committed by personnel of the army, paramilitary BSF, CRPF, ITBP and CISF who belonged to all regions and states of the country.

In 2006, recognising the rising fratricide and suicide cases among the armed forces, the then defence minister had constituted an expert group of psychiatrists under the Defence Institute of Psychological Research in order to suggest remedial measures to prevent such incidents.

Over the last decade, incidents of suicides have reportedly reduced in the army as the force has taken measures to address the issue.