Chennai: An Inspector of Police, attached to the Law and Order wing in Mambalam police station in the city, died of coronavirus Wednesday evening and his mortal remains were buried with full honours and a 30-gun salute.
The Inspector, S Balamurali (47) is the first police personnel to succumb to the virus in the State.
Balamurali is survived by his wife and two children, aged 13 and nine.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami condoled the death of Balamurali and said a government job would be given to one of his family members.
Leaders of various political parties, including DMK president M K Stalin also condoled his death.
Balamurali tested positive on June five and was shifted to the IIT-Madras quarantine centre. As his condition worsened, he was shifted to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, where he succumbed Wednesday evening.
His mortal remains were buried at Kannammapet burial ground with full honours. Tamilnadu DGP J K Tripathy, Greater Chennai City Police
Commissioner A K Viswanathan and senior police officials paid
rich tributes to a portrait of Balamurali at the Mambalam police
station.
A native of Vellore district, Balamurali was engineering graduate having completed BE in Electronics and Communication. However, he chose to join the police in 2000 and was promoted as Inspector in 2010.
On Saturday, doctors informed higher officials in the police department that Balamurali’s condition was critical following which Viswanathan and other officials stepped up and stood guarantee to buy a crucial drug which was not easily available.
It was said that three doses of the vaccine cost about Rs 2.25 lakh and a separate medical crew monitored him.
Though Balamurali initially showed signs of improvement, he succumbed to the virus on Wednesday evening, sending shock waves among the entire police force.
More than 600 police personnel, who were in the frontline of coronavirus duty, have tested positive for Covid-19 and more than 250 of them were discharged and have rejoined duty.