An assistant sub-inspector with the CRPF who had tested positive for Covid-19 a few days ago died on Tuesday, sources said, as the country’s biggest central paramilitary force reported its first victim of the pandemic.

This is also the first Covid casualty among the 10-lakh-strong paramilitary forces that function under the Union home ministry.

“The 55-year-old, sub-inspector-rank official of the CRPF from Assam was admitted to Safdarjung hospital a few days ago after being detected positive for the virus. He died on Tuesday afternoon due to the infection. He was posted with the 31st battalion of the force based in Delhi,” CRPF DIG Moses Dhinakaran said.

Md Ikram Hussain was a diabetic, sources said.

The sources said the Central Reserve Police Force has asked all its formations across the nation to contact-trace personnel who might have come in touch with infected colleagues, considering that 46 had tested positive so far for the virus and were being treated.

The CRPF has been deployed in several parts of the country in Covid-19 relief operations and also to check the spread of the pandemic in certain areas, including the national capital. “All the formations across the country have been asked to do contact tracing of personnel who have tested positive and to be quarantined,” a CRPF official said.

Earlier this month, nearly 150 CRPF officers, including director-general A.P. Maheshwari, had been home-quarantined after coming into direct or indirect contact with the force’s chief medical officer who had tested positive for Covid-19.

This had triggered a scare in the force and all those who had had indirect contact with him were also told to stay in home quarantine till their test reports came in.

Chief medical officer Deepak Kumar had been attached to the office of the force’s additional director-general (medical) and stayed at a transit mess in Saket, south Delhi. It was not clear how the doctor had caught the infection.

Each of the nearly 150 officers who had been home-quarantined had come in contact with at least one of the eight direct contacts of Kumar. All of them had later tested negative.

The Border Security Force, another central paramilitary force, has issued a circular asking all personnel and officials, irrespective of rank, to strictly adhere to Covid-19 safety protocols and warned that those found violating the measures would face disciplinary action.

Some personnel of the BSF, which guards the borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, have tested positive for the virus.

The circular from the BSF chief came after a deputy commandant who had returned from leave invited colleagues from his unit to his residence.

A senior official said the matter had been brought to the notice of the force’s top brass that some officers were not following the Covid-19 guidelines/instructions issued from time to time.

Some personnel of the CISF, that guards airports, have also tested positive for the virus.