CRPF constable dies of COVID-19; 8th death in force

NEW DELHI: A 43-year-old Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) official succumbed to the novel Coronavirus on Saturday, taking the total number of deaths in the country's largest paramilitary force to eight. This is also the 24th COVID19 death in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFS). An official said that the constable-rank official, posted as a driver in the administration wing of the CRPF headquarters at Lodhi Road here, had been suffering from a chronic kidney problem and hypertension. The jawan was found COVID-19 positive on Friday and breathed his last at a Delhi hospital on Saturday. The personnel hailed from Bihar. So far, more than 110 CRPF personnel who were posted in Delhi have tested COVID-19 positive. According to data, in the CRPF, there were 1,046 cases, of which 490 have recovered and eight have died. There are 548 active cases in the force as of Saturday.

In the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), there are around 100 active cases in Delhi. The first case was reported from the IGIA here and later it spread to personnel deployed for the security of Delhi Metro. As per officials, they have taken various steps to curb the virus spread among their personnel. About 314 CISF personnel are currently being treated for the contagious disease and 426 personnel have recovered from the virus, while seven deaths have been reported.

As many as 21 active cases in ITBP are from Delhi. More than 190 jawans who were deployed in Delhi were affected by the virus, of which over 180 have now tested negative. In the Indo-tibetan Border Police (ITBP), there are 84 active cases and 223 recoveries. Two deaths were also reported, where the jawans tested positive after death.