Tirupati: Why are CISF men committing suicides at Satish Dhawan Space Centre?

Sriharikota: A spate of suicides has rattled Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SHAR) in Tirupati. Three people including two Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel ended their lives in one week.

A week after the death of (CISF) Jawan at PCMC Radar Centre, CISF Sub-inspector Vikas Singh and his wife Priya Singh also ended their lives at SHAR.

The first incident happened on January 10 when 29-year-old Chintamani, a CISF Jawan, was found hanging from a tree while on duty at the PCMC Radar Centre-1 area. Native of Chhattisgarh, he returned to duty on January 10 after a month-long leave. Preliminary investigation found that he took extreme step due to family issues.

On January 16, 30-year-old Vikas Singh, Sub-Inspector of CISF, shot himself in the head with his service weapon at gate 1 of SHAR. A 2015 batch CISF officer, Vikas got transferred from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai to Sriharikota in November 2022.

Soon after the incident, his wife Priya Singh along with his brother and three children reached SHAR from Uttar Pradesh, on January 17. Police had recorded the statement of Priya Singh and her family members.

On Wednesday, Priya Singh was found hanging in the guest house. Her body was shifted to Sullurupeta hospital for post-mortem, while Vikas Singh's body was also kept at the same hospital after the postmortem. According to the police, Priya Singh might have ended her life as she was unable to bear the loss of her husband.

Police investigation found that none of the family members of the deceased CISF personnel complained about harassment by the senior officials.

Police registered cases in connection with the three suicides.

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