CRPF reports 136 COVID-19 cases; 17 BSF personnel also infected

PTI, May 3, 2020, 8:09 AM IST

New Delhi: Cases of coronavirus infection spiked in paramilitary forces CRPF and BSF with the two reporting 136 and 17 cases respectively on Saturday.

“While 135 CRPF personnel who tested positive belong to the 31st battalion of the paramilitary based in Mayur Vihar area of the national capital, one jawan is from the 246th battalion of the force, also in Delhi,” according to officials.

The sprawling premises of the 31st battalion have been completely sealed after coronavirus infection cases started building up in this unit and a 55-year-old sub-Inspector succumbed to the disease early this week.

“A total of 480 samples were taken from the unit, out of which 458 results have come and 22 are awaited. “A total of 135 troopers of this battalion have tested positive for the virus till now,” a senior official said.

A mobile coronavirus testing lab has been stationed on the premises of the battalion to ensure a quick collection of samples.

Separately, 80 personnel of the 246th battalion of the CRPF were quarantined after a constable tested positive for COVID-19.

This unit was deployed for rendering assistance in law and order duties to the Delhi Police.

Two other companies of the Central Reserve Police Force, the country’s largest paramilitary, are quarantined in the national capital as part of precautionary measures after exposure to coronavirus suffering people.

The Border Security Force (BSF), that guards sensitive Indian borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, also said that a total of 17 personnel in Delhi and Tripura have been detected with the disease over the last few days.

A BSF spokesperson said that seven troops who were assisting Delhi Police in Chandni Mahal and Jama Masjid areas over the past few weeks have tested positive.

They are part of the 126th and 178th battalions of the force.

The troops have been admitted to an isolation facility of the CAPF (Central Armed Police Forces) Referral hospital located in Greater Noida near here.

Eight personnel, admitted at a force hospital in R K Puram, also contracted the virus and their tests were confirmed over the last few days, the spokesperson said. Two more personnel have contracted the disease in Tripura, he said.

These forces, also called the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), function under the command of the Union Home Ministry.