The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has achieved a remarkable milestone by recording zero operational fatalities for 12 consecutive months, marking the first such achievement in 47 years.
According to the force, the last operational fatality was recorded on October 30, 2025. The milestone has been attributed to improvements in operational planning, modern equipment, personnel training and, most importantly, the rapid evacuation and medical treatment of injured personnel.
CRPF Director General GP Singh highlighted the achievement, emphasising that timely medical intervention has played a crucial role in saving the lives of wounded personnel.
“A lot of hard work on hardware, training, OPs planning, deployment and specially injured evacuation to Delhi has played a major role in this,” Singh told India Today NE.
He revealed that the force now arranges an average of 75–80 air ambulance sorties annually to transport injured personnel to specialised medical facilities, particularly the AIIMS Trauma Centre in Delhi.
Focus on Post-Injury Medical Care
The CRPF’s renewed emphasis on emergency medical support followed an analysis of operational fatalities over the previous five years. The study revealed that nearly three-fourths of deaths occurred hours or even days after personnel were injured, rather than immediately during an encounter.
Recognising this critical period, the force strengthened its emergency response system to ensure faster evacuation and access to advanced medical treatment.
Singh said that improving the chances of survival after an injury had become a key priority for the force.
In a post on X, the CRPF chief described the achievement as an important milestone in the force’s history, noting that the previous comparable period without an operational fatality had ended in January 1979.
Personnel Continue to Serve in Challenging Areas
The achievement comes as CRPF personnel remain deployed in several sensitive operational areas across the country, including Jammu and Kashmir, Left-Wing Extremism-affected regions and Manipur, where the force has been deployed since the outbreak of violence in 2023.
The force continues to play a significant role in counter-insurgency and anti-Maoist operations, often working in difficult terrain and high-risk security environments.
Since its establishment in 1947, the CRPF has lost 2,268 personnel in operational incidents, averaging more than 28 fatalities annually. The highest annual toll was recorded in 2010, when 143 personnel lost their lives, largely due to Maoist attacks and ambushes.
While operational threats remain, the latest achievement highlights the growing importance of emergency medical infrastructure, rapid evacuation and advanced trauma care in protecting security personnel.
For the CRPF, the mission to save lives does not end when an injured jawan is rescued from an encounter. It continues through every stage of medical evacuation and treatment, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that every wounded personnel gets a chance to return home safely.