Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday said that 4,938 police personnel in the state have so far tested positive for the coronavirus, and 60 have died, PTI reported. The minister said that 38 of the 60 personnel were from the Mumbai Police. As many as 3,813 personnel have recovered, he added.
On Tuesday, Deshmukh said experts are being consulted to formulate a response to the rising number of cases within the Maharashtra Police, The Indian Express reported. “We are consulting experts on the subject and their inputs will soon be brought into action,” Deshmukh said. “The strategy to tackle the infection among cops is being revised. We are considering different ways to bring changes in the daily functioning of the police force to ensure the risk is minimised.”
Deshmukh added that senior officials in the government are closely observing the situation in the Mumbai Police. He said dedicated coronavirus care centres and hospitals have been set up to treat the police force. The minister added that the Maharashtra government will seek deployment of Central Armed Police Forces from the Centre if necessary.
Deshmukh had announced last week that families of police personnel who die of the coronavirus will be allowed to live at their officially-allotted residence until the day of the deceased’s scheduled retirement.
Over 1 lakh offences registered, over 29,000 arrests made
On Wednesday, the Maharashtra home minister said 1,39,702 offences have been registered in the state since the lockdown first came into effect in March. As many as 29,298 arrests were made for violation of the lockdown norms and 85,780 vehicles impounded, he added. Over Rs 9.5 crore has been collected as fine from violators.
Deshmukh also said that there have been 290 instances of attacks on policemen, and 860 accused have been held.
The police helpline number 100 has received 1,05,269 calls related to the coronavirus. As many as 6,16,899 people have been quarantined so far, however, 756 have been caught violating the quarantine. Deshmukh also said the Maharashtra government is running 10 relief camps for migrant workers.
Maharashtra is the worst-affected state in the country, and Mumbai has the second-highest number of cases for any city. As of Wednesday evening, the state had 1,74,761 cases, including 7,855 deaths, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The state extended its lockdown till July 31, while providing relaxations in rules. On Wednesday, the Mumbai Police imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the city until July 15. The section prohibits the assembly of more than four people. In containment zones, the movement of one or more than one person for non-essential purposes has been prohibited.
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