Women account for 40% of suicides in central paramilitary personnel, according to date from the National Crime Records Bureau and the Bureau of Police Research & Development, a leading newspaper reports.

The central paramilitary personnel inlude the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Women account for 2% of these forces.

In 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau reported 175 deaths, through accident and suicides, among the paramilitiary force. Among them, women accounted for 41.7% or 73 deaths.

The rate of suicide among the women in the paramilitary force is striking by itself, but more particularly when compared to the same with men. The reports says that there are 396.9 suicides per lakh for women while for men it is 11.2 per lakh.

Among the general poplation of the country, the rate of suicide 7.1 per lakh. This shows that that rate for women in the paramilitary is astronomically high.

It is telling that the suicides were concentrated in four states in particular- Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar and Jammu and Kashmir. Madhya Pradesh alone accounted for 40% of the suicides.

One of the primary reasons for the suicides has been cited as problems relating to marriage. The report says that women in the paramilitary are often stressed about carrying out their duty in the force while balancing their family's needs.

Within the paramilitary forces, 24 women and 21 men committed suicide due to marital discord.

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