By Nagendar Sharma BBC News, Delhi

The air force is no longer seen as a promising career

The Indian Air Force is facing a crisis after at least 200 pilots indicated they wanted to leave the service, a BBC investigation has discovered.

The pilots say poor working and living conditions, and the difficulty of living apart from their families, have prompted their decisions.

But they say the IAF is not allowing them to quit their jobs. One pilot attempted suicide after being refused.

The IAF said premature retirement cases were decided only after proper

scrutiny.

Having given the prime years of my youth to the country, what have I asked for? Just to be allowed to live with my family Air force pilot

Many serving pilots spoken to by the BBC in different parts of India say they are no longer motivated to carry on in service while being separated from their families. They say deteriorating service conditions and a culture of "sycophancy being promoted by senior officers" is making it difficult for them to work.

They say the situation is aggravated by the authorities' refusal to allow them to quit.

'Victimised'

Figures obtained by the BBC show that between 2002 and 2004, 263 pilots were allowed by the IAF authorities to seek premature retirement.

However, in 2005 only eight pilots were allowed to leave.

The BBC has seen classified documents that show that one of those given premature retirement managed to do so only after he obtained a letter from a member of parliament.

The IAF says it spends millions of rupees on each pilot's training

One of the pilots, with more than a decade of service with the IAF, said he was dismayed at not having been given permission to leave the force, and felt victimised.

"Having given the prime years of my youth to the country, what have I asked for? Just to be allowed to live with my family. Even that is being denied," he told the BBC.

"I have been told by the authorities to shut up, otherwise I would be transferred to a place from where I would be able to do nothing," he said.

Air force response

Another pilot who was denied permission to leave attempted to commit suicide.

He is currently undergoing psychiatric help in an army hospital.

In a written response to the BBC, the IAF said: "When any officer of the IAF asks for premature retirement on compassionate grounds, these cases are investigated and, when found genuine, the officer is allowed to proceed on premature retirement."

The IAF also said it was investigating the suicide attempt.

We have to ensure that cockpit vacancies are kept filled at all times, as failure to do so would jeopardise national security Indian Air Force

But the angry and frustrated pilots say they feel they made a mistake by joining the force.

Many of them challenge the IAF's claim that they are given basic facilities such as free accommodation.

One officer with more than 15 years of service said: "Whether you are posted in a small or a big city, you are not given an accommodation of more than two small rooms.

"If on a two-year posting, you are moving houses every six months. Only those who do it know the stress they undergo."

Commercial airlines

But the IAF says the terms and conditions of service are made known to the young men and women at the time of joining.

It says millions of rupees are spent on training them to become pilots.

"We have to ensure that cockpit vacancies are kept filled at all times, as failure to do so would jeopardise national security," it says.

But an added complication has been the emergence of many new private airlines in India that has led to a massive demand for trained pilots.

Many of them see the air force pilots as their best bet.

The BBC asked one of the pilots whether he and his colleagues were looking to leave the force to join commercial airlines for higher salaries and a better lifestyle.

"What is wrong even if we do plan to become commercial pilots?" he said in response.

"We have given the best part of our life to the country. I would also request you to have a look at the lists of candidates applying for commercial pilots' licenses.

"You would be shocked to find majority of those are relatives of senior commanders, and in some case these seniors themselves," he alleged.