New Delhi: Two security personnel under the command of the Union home ministry died in "accidents" every week on an average in 2019, totalling 104 such fatalities over the year, according to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data.
A total of 2,006 such fatalities have been reported in six years, with the maximum of 1,232 in 2014 and the minimum of 104 each in 2018 and 2019.
The combined number of accident-related deaths in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), the Assam Rifles and the National Security Guard (NSG) stood at 113 in 2017, 260 in 2016 and 193 in 2015.
However, the NCRB data did not give a force-wise break up of the "accidental death" cases in the CAPF, the AR and the NSG.
The CAPF refers to the five central security forces - Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB). Besides the CAPF, the AR and the NSG are also under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
As on January 1, 2019, the CAPF had an actual strength of 9,23,800 personnel, who played a vital role in guarding borders and assisting the central and state governments in the maintenance of internal security and curbing other illegal or unlawful activities, the NCRB stated.
According to the latest data for 2019, 104 personnel lost their lives in various accidents, including road or rail accidents, and in action or encounters.