Cases of suicide in the country’s largest paramilitary force, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), recorded their highest number at 59 in 2025 over the last five years, with staffers in the constabulary comprising more than 80 per cent of those who ended their lives, official sources said on Thursday.In more than 77 per cent of cases, these deaths took place when the personnel were on duty (202 out of 262 cases), while the rest occurred when they were on leave, the sources said, citing official data for the period between 2021-25.While there was no official response from the force, CRPF officials told PTI that the paramilitary had initiated several measures to ensure good physical and mental health of the troops and this process was ongoing. It has been largely found that maximum suicide cases were linked to issues at home, which was coupled with the rigours of service and hard duties, the officials said.The about 3.25 lakh personnel-strong CRPF is the lead internal security force of the country. Officials state that at any given time, about 95-97 per cent of the CRPF’s operational strength is on duty tackling terrorists and insurgents or rendering law and order duties.While 59 personnel ended their lives in 2025, the number was 46 in 2024, 57 in 2023, 43 in 2022 and 57 in 2021, the officials said. Of the 281 personnel who took the extreme step in the last five years (including 19 till July 2026), 237 belonged to the non-gazetted ranks, sources said.