SRINAGAR: An Indian Army soldier committed suicide by shooting himself with his service rifle in Laam sector along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri district, reported the Indian media.
Police have registered a case and are investigating into the circumstances that led to the suicide of Lance Naik Vishal Lohar of 54 Rashtriya Rifles on Tuesday.
The army has also ordered a court of inquiry into the episode. The 33-year-old jawan hailed from Karnataka.
Read: Pakistan Army leads world forces with zero-percent suicide rate
Between 2014 and 2017, at least 348 defence personnel in India committed suicide since 2014.
According to a report, Indian Army tops the list of suicides, with the number at 276. Sixty suicides were reported in the Indian Air Force while the figure stood at 12 for Navy, their defence minister told the parliament in March 2017.
He also said that eight cases of fratricide were reported during the period.
Subhash Bhamre had informed the lawmakers that the country had taken various steps to address the issue, such as improving living and working conditions for the personnel. The government has also mandated psychological counselling sessions conducted by officers for armed forces personnel and their families, he added.
