Dear All,
In my recent RTI application, IAF declined the informtion about the desertion cases in last 5 years. I am indeed concerned about the suicides and fragging in defence forces. More than 80- 90% of the death among soldiers is caused by Suicides and fragging and just 10-20% on border or due to other reasons.
Desertion cases are happening due to primarily below reasons:
1) lack of education/traing among the soldiers about the consequences of desertion.
2) only option left out to a soldier when his discharge application is denied by the higher authority. if he reapplies for discharge he would be reffered to psychiatric wards.
IAF Deserter get punished twice for the same offence:
if the soldier deserts without committing any serious offence or without arms and ammuniations he would be dismissed by the chief of air staff. However if the soldier is found later he would be courtmartialled again for the same offence. Is it justified to punish soldier twice for the same offence that too the soldiers who have deserted without committing any serious offence or without any arms and ammuniations. The recent latter that I have recieved from IAF also says that since most of the deserter reports back after some time there is no reason for the IAF to put an effort to find them.
Time has changed:
looking at the current scenario where india has so much young population and unemploymnet rate is so high dont we need to revisit the old rules and do justice only with the genuine cases. I am sure we all have read very often about the stampede that happens in Army, Nave and IAF recruitment rallies.
If a pilot or engineer ask premature retirement it could be an issue as defence spends a lot of money on the education and maintainance of the officers however most of the soldiers join as 10th pass and quit as 10th pass. there is no point having a soldier in defence forces who is demotivated or wants to quit due to family reasons. its is time that people stand for the suicides and desertion cases od armed forces. how long we can keep them isolated, they are also part of our family. these soldiers are brothers, son, father, husbands in our society but noone wants to take up their cause. wherein discilpline is must but there must be some exceptions taken to avoid extreme steps that our soldiers take in isolation.
I am taking up the cause of only genuine desertion cases who offically apply for discharge before taking the extreme steps of desertion or suicides. 1 murder or 1 rape create get so much of media attention but daily suicides or daily desertion seems to have got no attention from media, NGO's or citizens.
Jai Jawan!!! Jai Hind!!!
