My childhood home stood across police quarters, which mostly housed constables. I remember seeing them leave their homes around 7 AM, when I would have just woken up rubbing my eyes. They usually walked out in their uniforms, with their lunch bags hanging from their shoulders…just like I would two hours later.
We didn’t play with their children often (they had a huge compound, but we were not allowed inside), but when we did, we heard stories about how their fathers had not come home for Diwali or Christmas, how they had missed birthdays and wedding parties, and how they would often sleep for merely a couple of hours.
In that way, I have been familiar with the struggles of the police force for many years. Therefore, this week’s story on the Odisha police force being stretched like a rubber band was easy to commission.
But the tougher part was reconciling the fact that the same police force has been accused of three custodial deaths within a span of four weeks.
Within a sovereign entity, only the state can use force legitimately. Can juxtaposing the troubles of the police force with the brutality they unleash on a population they are meant to protect, help us understand the state of the police force’s mental wellbeing?
Odisha’s police force is plagued by mental health issues, harming themselves and the public
By Abhijit Mohanty
The image of a police officer as fearless and emotionally strong is deeply ingrained. That leaves very little space to acknowledge vulnerability, even when someone is struggling. Mental health support should become a part of the policing system itself, just like training, welfare, and discipline.
AMA with the Editor
In other news, we will be having an AMA session on pitching to Mentality: 11 AM IST, Friday, 21 August 2026. If you have a story idea for us but have any questions about the pitching process, join us to have all your queries answered. Send us an email request at editor[at]thementality[dot][org] and we shall share the link. See you there!
We will look forward to hearing your thoughts on this.
Warmly,
Raksha