New Delhi: As many as 31 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel posted in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.
According to a senior official, a total of 300 personnel of the CRPF's 90th battalion made to undergo a test after a 44-year-old constable died of COVID-19 and 28 others tested positive.
"All the effected personnel have been isolated and the troops have been asked to immediately report if they feel any illness of Covid-19 like symptoms," a senior official said.
Earlier, two terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir's Kulgam district. Slain terrorists were associated with the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit.
On Wednesday, a Border Security Force (BSF) personnel succumbed to Covid-19, taking the total number of deaths in the paramilitary force to three.
This is the 14th death among the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
So far, the CRPF has reported four deaths, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) five and the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) one each.
The first case of coronavirus in the CAPFs was reported on March 28.
Notably, all CRPF, ITBP and BSF health centres in the country will be open for COVID-19 treatment of their veterans and families of troops who laid down their lives in the line of duty.
The CRPF, country's largest paramilitary Force with about 3.25 lakh personnel, has a chain of 19 healthcare hospitals in the country.
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