An Indian soldier of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) died by suicide after shooting himself with his service rifle at the Surat International Airport on Saturday (Jan 4). He shot himself inside the washroom of the airport in the afternoon. The 32-year-old soldier named Kishan Singh was stationed at the airport as part of his CISF duties. Police said that he shot himself in the stomach. Police Inspector NV Bharwad said, "He was rushed to a private hospital where the doctors declared him dead." 

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The motive behind the suicide is under investigation, police said. The incident caused panic among the staff at the airport and the washroom was quickly cordoned off for investigation by the authorities. 

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The soldier was quickly taken to a hospital near the airport but could not be saved. 

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Police said, "He was rushed to a private hospital where the doctors declared him dead." The CISF has not released any statement on the incident yet. 

Suicide rate among CISF personnel

The incident came just days after the CISF announced that there was around 40 per cent decline in suicides of its officials. The suicide rate in CISF soldiers was 25 per cent in 2023 and 15 per cent in 2024. 

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It was revealed that 2/3rd of the CISF personnel grievances take place due to posting issues. However the HR policy of the department notified in December 2024 that soldiers will now be able to take choice-based postings. 

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A CISF spokesperson said in a statement, "The Policy will affect the non-gazetted staff that constitutes 98 per cent of CISF manpower. 

Since 2020, as many as 105 suicides have been reported solely by CISF soldiers. 

(With inputs from agencies)