Over 1,000 Maharashtra police personnel test positive for coronavirus

Over 1,000 police personnel of Maharashtra police tested positive for novel coronavirus. Maharashtra was the worst-hit state by coronavirus pandemic. The total number of COVID-19 cases in the state increased to 27,524.

Out of 1,061 COVID-19 positive police personnel, 112 were police officers, according to state health bulletin. At least 174 of them have been recovered from the disease. However, nine police personnel lost their lives due to COVID-19 infection.

Maharashtra police has 2.25 lakh personnel, including cops from the SRPF. Nearly 5,000 were placed in quarantine at special centres set up for them in the state.

In Maharashtra, over 1 lakh cases have been registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) ever since the nationwide lockdown.

Over 20,000 people have been arrested so far for violating lockdown guidelines. Maharashtra Police recovered over ₹4 crore from the offenders, according to news agency ANI.

The Maharashtra government also requested the Centre for Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) in the state so that state police personnel could be given some rest, state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said on Wednesday.

“The coronavirus pandemic and resultant lockdown have seen the police force stretched as they work in extremely challenging conditions for long hours both day and night," Deshmukh added.

We do not want the police to be any more overburdened than they are. We've hence asked for 20 CAPF companies to be deployed urgently to help the police,” Deshmukh stated.

Thirty two companies of the CRPF have already been deployed in Maharashtra.

During his interaction via video conferencing with the PM who chaired a COVID-19 strategy meeting with chief ministers, Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray said, "We need some help from the Central forces so that our police staff can take some rest. The staff is currently exhausted. We can not let them fall sick."