In highest single-day Covid fatalities in police force, Maharashtra loses 7 cops

MUMBAI: Thursday witnessed the highest single-day Covid-19 deaths of policemen in the state at seven, including five in Mumbai and one each in Thane and Raigad.
A total of 65 personnel have succumbed to the infection in Mumbai police and 137 in the state, including 14 officers.
Meanwhile, 303 police have tested positive for the virus, taking the total cases to 13,180. Till Thursday, 10,655 police personnel had recovered and 2,389 were undergoing treatment in the state. In the past 20 days, 34 personnel have died in the state.
Agripada police constable Tushar Khatal (33) was found sleeping outside a police beat chowky at Devi Garden on Thursday morning. He was taken to Nair Hospital where he was declared brought dead.
“Khatal had not reported to work since August 5. He was mentally disturbed as he had separated from his wife. He was found sleeping outside the beat chowky on a bedsheet. The post-mortem was conducted and it was learnt he was Covidpositive,” said an Agripada police officer. Khatal, who lived at Kalyan, hailed from Satara and had joined the force in 2011. His parents were called to Mumbai and final rites were performed.
Vikhroli traffic police constable Rohidas Tambe (56), who too passed away on Thursday, used to visit the police station every Sunday; the department had sent all personnel aged above 55 on Covid leave. Tambe did not have any comorbidities. “My father tested positive on July 15 and he was admitted at Rajawadi Hospital. The next day he was shifted to Seven Hills Hospital. On Monday, I spoke with him for 23 minutes and he sounded okay. Doctors told us they would discharge him in the next 10 days. The same day, though, he got breathless and was put on a ventilator,” said Tambe’s younger son Ajit (26) who is in his last year of LLB. Tambe was to retire in January 2022.
TOI reported on Friday that Deonar police sub-inspector Vinayak Babar (40) and Mulund police inspector Vishwanath Tambe (54) had succumbed to the infection.
Cuffe Parade police head constable Ravikant Salunkhe (52) had tested positive on July 25 and was admitted to a Covid care centre at Nagpada the next day. “My father had got discharged on August 9. He felt breathless early on Thursday and around 8am I called BMC’s A Ward for immediate help. But after a 45-minute wait, I called JJ Hospital and they arranged a bed with oxygen. However, he succumbed at 9am after we had just left home in a vehicle,” said Salunkhe’s son Nilesh (22), who is employed with a private company. Salunkhe is survived by his wife, two sons and an elder daughter. He did not had comorbidities. Kalwa police constable Shrikant Wagh (49) from Thane commissionerate and Rasayani police constable Gajendra Kamble (55) from Raigad succumbed to the virus too.