A day after a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawan shot himself dead before killing two others in Manipur, Director General G.P. Singh said aggrieved personnel could contact the helpline monitored by the force headquarters.
Mr. Singh told The Hindu that such a mechanism existed even now, but it was being further strengthened.
“We are trying to provide a platform for force personnel to reach out to the CRPF directorate. Similarly, this would be a platform to help the families of martyrs to connect directly to the directorate for assistance. Whatever is lawful and possible within available resources shall be done,” Mr. Singh said.
Earlier, sharing the details on X, Mr. Singh posted, “For any grievance or complaint of @crpfindia personnel, family members of braveheart martyrs, please write on digwel@crpf.gov.in, landline number 01124369514 & WhatsApp at 8595608850.”
Eight injured
Around 8 p.m. on Thursday (February 13, 2025), a CRPF jawan posted in Imphal West opened fire from his service weapon killing two personnel and injuring eight others. The jawan, Sanjay Kumar, later killed himself.
A senior government official said the jawan was suffering from hypertension and had an argument with his senior as he allegedly reported late for an assigned duty. He was said to have been delayed due to a power outage and had an argument with the CRPF jawan who was marking the attendance for night shift.
“An inquiry has been ordered but preliminary investigation show that he acted on the spur of the moment. We are checking with his family if there were any issues at home bothering him. An incident of fratricide in CRPF has not been reported in the past two years,” said the official.
Over 55,000 quit or took VRS
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, from 2020 to 2024, as many as 55,555 Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel either resigned or took voluntary retirement, and 730 personnel died by suicide.
On December 4, 2024, Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai informed Parliament that the CAPF (comprising seven forces, including CRPF) personnel generally had eight-hour shifts. “This, however, varies depending on operational exigencies. Necessary leave/training reserve is built in the structure of battalions so that the personnel get rest and leave. Measures have been taken to implement a transparent, rational and fair leave policy, and to regulate duty hours to ensure adequate rest and leave,” the reply stated.
For any grievance or complaint CRPF personnel and their family members can contact digwel@crpf.gov.in, 01124369514 or 8595608850 (WhatsApp). Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could also seek help and counselling by calling any of the numbers found in this link.
