CRPF officer who lost leg in line of duty battling pain, stagnant career

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.

The CRPF and six other security organisations come under the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).

Retired CAPF personnel say that for officials, most times, the first promotion comes only after 15 to 18 years of service.

They have hence opposed a Bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha on March 25 that will enable reservation of a substantial number of key posts in the CAPF to Indian Police Service (IPS) officers on deputation. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) (General Administration) Bill, 2026, proposes that 50% of the total posts in the rank of Inspector-General, at least 67% posts in the rank of Additional Director-General and 100% posts in the rank of Special Director-General and Director-General, be reserved for such IPS officers. Mr. Malik is a Group A officer of the CRPF. Both the CAPF and the IPS are under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The retired personnel and also Opposition parties have said that despite leading operations from the front and several of them killed in the line of action, CAPF officials face career stagnation.

Mr. Singh said, “When they are not promoted, it hurts us. Many families protested at Jantar Mantar (in Delhi) a few days ago against the injustice to CAPF personnel. My son’s friends who joined the Army the same year as him, are Colonels now.”

On March 16, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Mr. Malik at his official residence at R.K Puram in Delhi where he is recuperating. Mr. Singh hoped that the Home Minister will also meet his son soon.