A senior SRPF official in
Maharashtra's Hingoli, where 42 jawans from the force have tested positive for the coronavirus so far, on Friday said there was some inkling about such a situation and that is why those coming back after deployment in hotspots were directly sent to isolation facilities.
A majority of these cases are from two State Reserve Police Force companies that served in Mumbai, which has the highest number of COVID-19 cases for any city in India, and Malegaon, which accounts for a vast majority of infection in Nashik district.
"The number of SRPF jawans deployed in Mumbai was 87 and in Malegaon was 107. We had an inkling about this situation and what would be the result if proper care was not taken. So we sent these jawans directly to quarantine facilities, comprising 50 rooms, after they returned," Hingoli SRPF Commandant Manchak Ipper told PTI.
"The number of jawans who got infected after being on duty in Mumbai was just eight as the virus was widespread in the metropolis and everyone took utmost care. However, in Malegaon, the jawans did duty at fixed points and 33 got infected," he said.
He said the number of infected SRPF jawans stood at 42 in Hingoli now, and four of them have been hospitalised in Aurangabad, over 200 kilometres away.
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