Tripura State Rifle troops to undergo stress management exercise

Agartala (Tripura) [India], December 6 : Tripura Police has taken a set of decisions to ensure the mental well being of the Tripura State Rifle troopers.
The decisions have been undertaken in the wake of an unwarranted incident where one lower rank rifleman shot two of his senior colleagues dead and later surrendered before the police. Apart from that, a number of reports of TSR Jawans killing themselves from the service rifle also came in the last couple of years which called for urgent attention.
Director-General of Police (DGP) Tripura VS Yadav chaired a crucial self-analysis meeting in presence of the commandants of all the TSR battalions and issued a set of directives to the heads of the battalions.
"All these incidents have one thing in common. People who committed the crimes had been undergoing some sort of anxiety or stress, a problem that was required to be nipped in the bud. But, for some reason, nobody paid attention to the individual's problems prompting him to take some drastic steps. The DGP sir has told each and every Battalion head to be conscious in their approach", a source privy to the information said.
"A decision has been taken to bring expert resource persons to conduct regular counselling of the Jawans. Stress and anxiety management exercises along with rigorous physical exercise will be conducted in regular intervals to boost up the morale of the troopers", said the source.
Apart from that, all the commandants have been directed to create a homely atmosphere in the camps and make sure that the senior-level officials stay in touch with the lower rank and file. "The SO level officers have been directed to keep close contact with the Jawans. The companions in the room--two soldiers who share a room--are asked to keep a close eye on their room partner and in case of any behavioural inconsistency, it is reported immediately to the higher officials without fail. Issues like leave and other relaxations should also be handled with care subject to priority and cause", the source added.
On the counselling front, two courses on stress management are set to be introduced in the training centers of the state and soldiers would be attending the sessions on a roster basis.
On being asked about the reasons for such incidents, the source said, "According to the commanding officers, in all the cases stress due to family-related problems has been found to be the root cause of the incidents. And, the senior officers are granting leave petitions in almost every case barring a few instances of emergency."