CRPF Suicides Hit Five-Year High, 59 Personnel Die in 2025

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), India's largest paramilitary force, recorded 59 suicides in 2025, the highest annual toll in the last five years, raising fresh concerns over the mental well-being of personnel serving in demanding operational environments. The latest figures underscore a persistent challenge despite the force's continued efforts to strengthen counselling and welfare measures.

According to official data accessed by PTI, 262 CRPF personnel died by suicide between 2021 and 2025, with 202 cases more than 77 per cent occurring while personnel were on active duty. The remaining deaths took place during leave, indicating that emotional distress often manifests amid continuous operational deployments.

The annual figures remained consistently high over the period, with 57 suicides in 2021, 43 in 2022, 57 in 2023, 46 in 2024 and 59 in 2025. Including 19 cases reported till July 2026, the total number of suicides over the past five years has risen to 281.

The data also reveals that the burden falls overwhelmingly on the lower ranks. Of the 281 personnel who died by suicide, 237 belonged to the non-gazetted ranks, including constables and head constables, 43 were subordinate officers , Assistant Sub-Inspectors, Sub-Inspectors and Inspectors and one was a gazetted officer. In all, nearly 84 per cent of the victims were from the constabulary, highlighting the pressures faced by frontline personnel.

Among the 262 suicides recorded between 2021 and 2025, 128 personnel died by hanging, 118 used firearms, 12 consumed poison, while two each died after jumping before a train and by cutting their veins or throat. The large number of firearm-related deaths reflects the operational reality that deployed personnel routinely carry service weapons.

With a strength of around 3.25 lakh personnel, the CRPF serves as the country's lead internal security force, handling counter-terrorism, anti-Naxal operations, counter-insurgency, election security, riot control and disaster response. Officials estimate that 95-97 per cent of the force remains deployed at any given time, often in difficult terrain and high-risk situations, leaving limited opportunities for extended rest or family interaction.

CRPF officials said family-related problems, coupled with the rigours of prolonged service, continue to emerge as the most common factors behind suicides. Long periods away from home, demanding work schedules, operational fatigue, difficult living conditions and limited leave during emergencies often compound emotional stress.

The issue has remained a long-standing concern across the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). Earlier Ministry of Home Affairs data presented in Parliament showed that 654 CAPF personnel died by suicide between 2018 and 2022, with the CRPF accounting for 230 cases, the highest among all central forces. Government assessments have also identified prolonged working hours, isolation from family, inadequate rest, financial pressures and psychological stress as recurring risk factors.