CRPF chief, security advisor Kumar, others test negative

New Delhi: CRPF chief A P Maheshwari, senior security advisor in the Union Home Ministry K Vijay Kumar and about 14 other senior officers have tested negative for coronavirus after they came in the network of an infected force doctor, officials said on Monday.

Others who tested negative include CRPF Additional Director General (Operations) Sanjay Arora and Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and staff officer to the CRPF DG Sunil Joon.

All these officers, totalling 16, had come in direct or indirect contact with a CRPF doctor who was found positive for COVID-19 on April 2 and is now admitted to AIIMS Jhajjar in Haryana.

Maheshwari (59), K Vijay Kumar (67), Arora, Joon and few others had travelled on a special BSF aircraft to Chhattisgarh some days back to review anti-Naxal operations in the state.

“Detailed contact history was worked out and found that one officer among these had travelled with several other CRPF officers, including DG CRPF to Chhattisgarh.”

“The DG Dr A P Maheshwari along with all personnel who went to Chhattisgarh have been tested for COVID-19 and have all been found to be negative,” CRPF spokesperson DIG Moses Dhinakaran said

He added, “They have also been cleared by medical officials. However, in compliance with WHO and government guidelines they shall complete the entire duration of self quarantine upto April 7.”

A senior official added that K Vijay Kumar too has been found negative for virus.

“All officials are in good health and continue to perform their duties through telecommunications,” Dhinakaran said.

Maheshwari, a 1984-batch IPS officer of Uttar Pradesh cadre, had taken over the CRPF charge on January 15.

Kumar, a 1975-batch IPS officer of Tamil Nadu cadre, headed CRPF as its Director General between October, 2010 to September, 2012. He has also served as the advisor to the governor of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.