In Huge Worry, India's Five Paramilitary Forces Have So Far Reported 530 COVID Cases & 5 Deaths

The rising number of COVID-19 cases in the country's paramilitary forces is becoming a concern for the authorities.

On Friday, a CISF official died of coronavirus infection taking the death toll in the five paramilitary forces tasked with internal security to five, as the active COVID-19 cases climbed to over 530.

The Assistant Sub Inspector-rank official, posted at the Indian Museum security unit in Kolkata, was the second Central Industrial Security Force personnel to die of the virus.

With his death, five Central Armed Police Force personnel have succumbed to COVID-19 -- two each from BSF and CISF and one from CRPF.

According to officials, living in clusters, like barracks, and usage of common bathrooms and travel in vehicles by multiple personnel together are thought to be the main reasons for the spread of the infection in the forces.

The five forces, about 10-lakh strong, have launched various measures to contain the infection by sanitising their premises and asking troops to strictly follow protocols.

AFP

"All instructions and directions of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare are being strictly followed. Frequency of sanitisation of workplaces/barracks have been increased.

"In addition to existing apparatus of sanitisation, water cannons are being used for quick disinfection of buildings and establishments, and BSF personnel are being repeatedly sensitized to firmly adhere to preventive measures," BSF spokesperson Shubhendu Bhardwaj said.

The total number of active cases in CRPF, BSF, CISF, ITBP and SSB, according to the data accessed by PTI, is over 530 and thousands of the personnel have been quarantined.

The Border Security Force has the maximum active cases among the five paramilitary forces at 221, with 30 reported on Friday. Two BSF men have recovered.

AFP

The two worst numbers in the BSF come from units deployed for law and order duties in Jamia and Chandni Mahal areas (77) and from the frontier state of Tripura (78).

In the CISF, apart from the Kolkata official, a jawan posted at the Mumbai international airport has died. The force has 35 active cases including one in its VIP security unit based in Greater Noida.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has a total of 161 active cases with three fresh cases reported in the last 24 hours.

The Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), tasked primarily to guard the 3,488-km-long Line of Actual Control with China, reported 12 fresh cases from its Delhi-based units.

The number of total active cases in ITBP is 94, an official said.

The 80,000-strong Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), guarding the borders with Nepal and Bhutan, has at least 17 active cases.