Question : Harassment of Soldiers

(a) whether the Government is aware of the reports of soldiers being subjected to harassment and menial jobs by senior officers;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the cases of the deaths of such soldiers brought to the notice of the Government;
(c) whether the Government has ordered an inquiry into the cases reported by the relatives of the victims alleging harassment as the prime cause of the soldiers’ suicide;
(d) if so, the details thereof and whether the Government is considering to grant compassionate employment to the spouse or the next of kin on merit; and
(e) if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE (SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK)
IN THE MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
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(a) Yes, Sir. A few allegations of harassment have been received by the Indian Army. These allegations predominantly were anonymous or third party complaints and generic in nature. However, no such case has been reported in the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

(b) to (e): Details of alleged cases of harassment in the last three years in Indian Army are as under:
Year No. of cases received
2017 113
2018 154
2019 115

All such complaints were investigated and found to be unsubstantiated. No cases of death due to the alleged harassment have been reported in the last three years by the Indian Army.
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