A 59-year-old incharge of a police station in Ujjain died of COVID-19 on Tuesday morning while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Indore.
“He had contracted the illness during the course of his duty,” said A.G. Sinha, Ujjain Chief Medical and Health Officer. She added that the inspector was posted at the Neelganga station, which fell under one of the containment areas, where infected cases had been reported.
The official, who died at 5.10 a.m. on Tuesday, was admitted to a private hospital in Indore 10 days ago in a serious condition. “He had bilateral pneumonia and difficulty in breathing. Despite continuous treatment, he didn’t show improvement,” said Vinod Bhandari, a doctor who oversaw his treatment.
Towards the end, he was put on a ventilator. “But he had acute respiratory distress syndrome of a severe variety. So, despite all efforts we couldn’t save him,” said Dr. Bhandari.
Condoling his death, Vivek Johri, Director General of Police, said the official sacrificed his life while fighting the courageous battle against the disease. “By making the sacrifice, he upheld the sentiment that for the State police public service comes first,” he said.
On Sunday, the incharge of a police station in Indore died while undergoing treatment for the illness. He too was suspected to have been infected while on duty.
Ujjain has reported 27 cases, of which seven have succumbed so far, while five have recovered. The district administration has drawn up 14 containment areas where the cases have been detected. The toll owing to the disease stands at 77 in Madhya Pradesh now.
As of April 21, as many as 1,503 cases have been reported in the State and Indore, with 915, registering more than half of them. Bhopal has recorded 254 cases.
