CRPF official succumbs to COVID-19; recoveries surpass active cases in paramilitary forces

A 50-year-old Assistant Sub-Inspector of the Central Reserve Police Force has succumbed to novel coronavirus, officials said on Thursday. This is the second death linked to the pandemic in the country's largest paramilitary force, which has 3.25 lakh personnel, and the seventh among the five paramilitary or Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) of the CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB.

The CRPF also reported nine fresh positive cases on Thursday and its active cases now stand at 121. A CRPF spokesperson said ASI Panchdev Ram breathed his last on Wednesday at the Lady Hardinge Medical College in Delhi.

The ASI, who hailed from Bihar, was suffering from liver cancer and he was infected by novel coronavirus some time back, they said, adding that he belonged to the 84th battalion of the force based in Jammu. Earlier, a 55-year-old sub-inspector of the 31st battalion of the force had succumbed to COVID-19.

The CAPFs have reported seven COVID-19 deaths, with maximum three in the Central Industrial Security Force and two each in the CRPF and the Border Security Force. These forces tasked with rendering a variety of internal security duties under the command of the Union Home Ministry now have more recoveries than active COVID-19 cases among them.

As per data accessed by PTI, at least 569 CAPF personnel have recovered from the disease, while the number of active cases stands at 447. The CRPF has 121 active cases followed by 119 in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, 90 in the Central Industrial Security Force, 87 in the BSF and 30 in the Sashastra Seema Bal.

Fourteen fresh cases have also been reported over the last 24 hours in these uniformed organisations. The highest recovery numbers at present among the CAPFs are in the Border Security Force at 274, followed by 212 in the CRPF and ITBP has reported 67 recoveries.

The CAPFs have a combined strength of about 10 lakh personnel.

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