Kolkata: On a day 40 policemen were released from hospital after being treated successfully for COVID-19, the Kolkata Police also reported two deaths, a police constable and a police man in the force. Respects were paid to constable Dilip Sardar, who was posted at Sealdah Traffic Guard. He died on Saturday. He had been admitted to a state-run hospital in Kolkata earlier this week.
Constable Sebastian Xaxa of South Division reportedly died last Saturday. The Kolkata police commissioner Anuj Sharma paid homage to Constable Xaxa.
Both were described as “COVID Warriors” by Kolkata Police, which tweeted messages of condolence.
Families of both men have been given an interim relief of Rs 1 lakh each. They will also receive Rs 10 lakh each as per the special government insurance scheme.
At least 200 police personnel have contracted COVID-19 in recent weeks; some 100 have recovered.
Last month, in at least three separate incidents, Kolkata Police personnel protested against the absence of protective gear and the pressure of the pandemic and Cyclone Amphan duty even as some policemen tested positive for the virus.
At the Police Training School in central Kolkata, policemen protested after a constable tested positive but their living quarters were not sanitised for a couple of days.
