TN policeman on lockdown enforcement duty suffers chest pain, dies

A police constable, Arun Gandhi, attached to the Mylapore traffic police wing was at Foreshore Estate on Wednesday to enforce the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 when he experienced chest pain and later died at a hospital on Thursday.

Chennai: A 33-year old policeman experienced chest pain while on duty here to enforce the lockdown and died later at a hospital.

"The police constable, Arun Gandhi, attached to the Mylapore traffic police wing was at Foreshore Estate on Wednesday to enforce the lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19 when he experienced chest pain and later died at a hospital," a government official release said on Thursday.

"When he was engaged in enforcing the lockdown, he experienced chest pain and he died at a hospital," the release added.

Following his death, Chief Minister K Palaniswami announced that if frontline employees including doctors, nurses and policemen happen to die while on duty in the fight against coronavirus, next of their kin will be provided Rs 10 lakh solatium and a government job.

He ordered Rs 10 lakh aid to the policeman's kin and State employment to one of his family members.

Condoling the police constable's death, Palaniswami said," he was grieved to learn of it and lauded the untiring work of police personnel, doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary workers, municipal administration and revenue department employees in the fight against coronavirus.

If any of them happen to die unfortunately while on duty, their kin will be granted cash assistance and a government job.

"Their work is praiseworthy," he said.

(PTI REPORT)