Covid-19: Delhi Constable’s Tragic Death is Proof of How Little India Cares About Its Forces

Over a month after placing parts of the world under various stages of lockdowns, the coronavirus claimed the life of a police officer in the national capital. A constable posted with the Delhi Police died on Tuesday, a day before he was tested positive for Covid-19.

#JUSTIN:First suspected Covid causality reported in @DelhiPolice. A 31-year-old constable, posted with North-West district, died on Tuesday evening in RML hospital. He complained of fever & cough,was examined in Deep Chand Bandhu hospital,tested for COVID-19. 1/2.@IndianExpress

— Mahender Singh (@mahendermanral) May 6, 2020

The 32-year-old policeman is now the only cop who has died of the disease in the national capital. His colleagues have been asked to self-isolate.

What makes the situation go from sad to shocking, however, is how quickly his medical situation escalated. Reports say the constable was asymptomatic until Monday evening, when he suddenly realised that he was feeling breathless, and that he had a mild fever. By the next day, he had already succumbed to his symptoms.

31-year-old young Police constable identified as Amit Rana, showed no COVID-19 symptoms till Monday evening. A few hours later, however, his fever spiked and developed breathing problems & passed away. Shocking. RIP https://t.co/mvDWApftmM

— Abhishek Goyal (@goyal_abhei) May 6, 2020

This case has intrigued me the most. I hope @ICMRDELHI analyses this case threadbare. We should get more info on why some young individuals have behaved exactly opposite to what we expect from them? What are risk factors & precipitating factors
https://t.co/KqGpKljnZ4

— ಶರಣ Dr Jagadish J Hiremath (@Kaalateetham) May 6, 2020

Various reports have also now pointed out that there may have been a few lapses on the part of medical practitioners that cost the constable his life.

Amit Rana was apparently first turned away from a hospital for not showing severe enough symptoms, treated and discharged by another hospital that asked him to get a coronavirus test, and passed away while en route to a third hospital, after his condition deteriorated. All this in the matter of one day.

“On Tuesday evening, when the constable reported that he was feeling uncomfortable again, he was immediately taken to the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital where he was declared brought dead,” a senior Delhi police officer said.

Delhi Constable’s Tragic Death serves as another reminder of how much essential workers have had to sacrifice to keep us safe.

The constable, who was on duty until Monday, was eventually tested positive for the coronavirus a day after his death. He is survived by his wife and a three-year-old son.

On Wednesday state’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal offered his condolences with a few kind words for the constable. “Amitji, not caring about his life, continued to serve the people of Delhi during this epidemic. I pay homage to his sacrifice on behalf of all Delhi people,” the CM wrote in a tweet, while offering his family an ex gratia of Rs 1 crore.

As the coronavirus lockdown enters its second month in most parts of the country, the death serves as another reminder of how much essential workers have had to sacrifice to keep us safe. The least we can do is stay home and not let these sacrifices go in vain.