Police personnel are waging a war against coronavirus in each district of the country by risking their lives and braving odds while working 24*7 amid the nationwide lockdown.
Now, in shocking news, more than 700 policemen in Maharashtra have been infected by the novel coronavirus so far and five of them have lost their lives. Of 714 coronavirus cases registered so far by the Maharashtra police, 648 are active cases.
Mumbai, the city which is witnessing a huge spike in the coronavirus, policemen above the age of 55 have been asked to stay at home. Mumbai police came to this decision after recording three deaths linked to the infection in April.
On the other side, 194 incidents of assault on cops during the lockdown have been reported till date, across different police stations in the state. According to Anil Deshmukh, Home Minister of the state thousands of people have been booked under Section 188 (disobeying an order passed by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
157 COPS IN TEST POSITIVE IN 24 HOURS
At least 157 police personnel have tested positive for COVID-19 in last 24 hours in Maharashtra taking a tally of positive coronavirus cases amongst cops in the state to 714.
So far, at least five cops have succumbed to death due to coronavirus out of which three are from Mumbai and 1 from Pune and Solapur respectively.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra is the worst-hit state in India having over 19,000 coronavirus cases.
REST FOR POLICE PERSONNEL
While addressing the state on Friday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said the government may ask for additional manpower from the central government if needed, so that police personnel can take rest in a phased manner.
Thackeray said, “Police personnel are tired after working 24*7, some have fallen sick and few of them have succumbed to the virus. They need rest.”
