Silent stress: Rising suicides in Delhi Police point to mental health concerns

Continuous filing of petitions and an exhaustive trial at the Tis Hazari District Court is almost all that remains of Priya Kumari, a woman constable who was stationed with the Special Unit for Women and Children (SPUWAC) in 2023. Allegations and counter-allegations, and a strained marriage, ultimately became the final nail in the coffin.

Kumari died by suicide in 2023, leaving behind a note recovered during investigation. According to the FIR, she was allegedly harassed by her husband Himanshu Rajora and his family for dowry, leading to an intense dispute that culminated in her death.

As of now, the case is being pursued by Kumari’s sister, who has spent nearly three years seeking justice.

Yet, Kumari’s story is not an isolated one within the Delhi Police.

A troubling pattern

With limited avenues for mental well-being and incessant work hours, many Delhi Police personnel find themselves overwhelmed to the point that their lives at home begin to feel alien.

In a Right to Information (RTI) request filed by Patriot, it was revealed that the national capital’s police force has witnessed at least 68 suicides within its ranks in the five years leading up to February 2, 2026.

The high number has been attributed to a lack of mental health checks, irregular work schedules, and growing emotional distance within families.

According to the data, the Police Control Room (PCR) and Traffic departments recorded the highest number of suicides, with seven deaths each, followed by Rohini district with six.

While most suicides in PCR and Traffic occurred during the pandemic in 2021 and the post-pandemic period in 2022, deaths in Rohini were concentrated in 2025.

To put matters into perspective, Rohini recorded three suicides in 2025, while PCR reported two and Traffic none.

These are not one-off incidents; a pattern emerges with each case.

Cases that underline the crisis

In July 2025, a 29-year-old woman sub-inspector with the Delhi Police was found dead at her residence in Rohini in what authorities described as suicide.

The officer, Savita, a 2021-batch recruit and a native of Chhara village in Haryana’s Jhajjar district, was posted at Aman Vihar Police Station and lived in Sector-11, Rohini.

Police said they received a call about a suspected suicide at a residential flat. On reaching the spot, Savita was found hanging from a ceiling fan. Her brother, sensing something was amiss, broke through the metal grill of her room to enter and attempted to save her.

No suicide note was recovered. However, officials said she was involved in a family dispute at the time of her death.

In another case, a 55-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector was found dead at his residence. The death was determined to be suicide, and his family stated that he had been suffering from depression.

Similarly, Assistant Sub-Inspector Lalit Sirohi died by suicide in East Delhi’s GD Colony. Posted at Usmanpur Police Station, Sirohi was found by his wife in a pool of blood with his service pistol nearby after she returned from dropping their children at school. He was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.

Police sources said he had been battling depression for two to three years.

Uneven wellness systems

These incidents reflect deeper systemic issues within the functioning of the Delhi Police.

According to senior officers, there is a lack of consistency in addressing mental health and work-life balance across departments. A senior official said, “Some follow their own routine. Some do not. While others have them regularly but do not document them. Each district and department follow their own systems depending on the administration.”

As a result, wellness practices vary widely.

For instance, the PCR has conducted multiple mental health training modules. “During 2023, five counselling sessions were organised by private psychiatric specialists to address depression among police personnel and female officers. This was followed in 2024 by four sessions dedicated to women’s health,” the PCR said. “In addition, regular stress management sessions are conducted to help personnel cope with the rigours of their daily professional lives.”

However, no separate financial allocation exists for such initiatives.

SPUWAC, on the other hand, conducted 34 stress management and meditation sessions, along with 549 yoga sessions, between January 1, 2019, and February 2, 2026.

Other departments largely rely on Sampark Sabhas, meditation, and yoga sessions, where personnel are trained to manage stress and maintain composure during duty hours.

These meetings, chaired by senior officers, are meant to provide a platform for personnel to air grievances, including those related to welfare and stress. However, they seldom translate into sustained focus on mental health.

Strain beyond the uniform

A head constable highlighted the growing emotional distance from family life. “I just became a father. My seniors have been gracious enough to give me leave whenever I wanted, but the job is such that you cannot really help but keep thinking about it,” he said.

He added that it becomes “almost impossible to lead a normal life as part of the forces” and that being present for one’s family remains a constant challenge.

According to the Delhi Police Academy, while there are modules on stress management, there are no dedicated courses to assess or monitor an officer’s mental health. There is also limited focus on emotional stress experienced during service.

A system under strain

Despite scattered initiatives, the absence of a structured, uniform approach has left many personnel navigating stress and emotional strain on their own.

For a force tasked with maintaining public order, the cost of ignoring internal well-being is becoming increasingly evident.

Unfortunately, the Delhi Police, remain on the fringes of their own making where mental health has been invisibilised to the point of no return.