Azad Singh says his son is barely able to sleep these days. With doctors stopping his painkillers, every day now seems a battle for him.
On March 1, his son Ajay Malik, an Assistant Commandant with the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), lost one of his legs when he stepped on an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), while leading an anti-Maoist operation at Saranda forest in Jharkhand. He was airlifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi where the doctors advised amputation of left leg.
After Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be eradicated from the country by March 31, 2026, the security forces had stepped up anti-Maoist operations to meet the deadline. Since 2015, at least 50 CRPF personnel have lost their limbs in anti-Maoist operations.
Mr. Singh said, “Doctors have taken my son off painkillers as its prolonged usage can impact other organs. He sleeps barely for 15-20 minutes at a stretch till he is woken up by excruciating pain,” said Mr. Singh, who retired as a supervisor from the Department of Posts.
Mr. Singh said that his son joined the CRPF in 2011 and is a recipient of President’s Police Medal for Gallantry in 2022, but is yet to see a single promotion. “He may not have had a single promotion yet but that has not affected his morale. Given a chance he would go back to join the security operations,” Mr. Singh said.
