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

Azad Singh says his son can barely sleep these days. Every day now seems like a struggle for him, with doctors taking him off his painkillers.

On March 1, his son Ajay Malik, a Deputy Commandant in 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 in Saranda forest in Jharkhand. He was flown to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi, where doctors recommended amputation of his left leg.

After Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced that Left Wing Extremism (LWE) will be wiped out from the country by March 31, 2026, security forces have stepped up anti-Maoist operations to meet the deadline. At least 50 CRPF personnel have lost limbs in anti-Maoist operations since 2015.

“Doctors stopped my son’s painkillers as long-term use could affect other organs. He sleeps for only 15-20 minutes until he wakes up with excruciating pain,” said Mr. Singh, a retired superintendent of the Ministry of Posts.

Mr. Singh said his son joined the CRPF in 2011 and received the Presidential Police Medal of Gallantry in 2022 but is yet to see a single promotion. “He may not have received even a single promotion yet, but that has not affected his morale. He will return to join security operations if given a chance,” Mr Singh said.

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

Retired CAPF personnel say that often the first promotion for officers comes only after 15 to 18 years of service.

Therefore, they opposed a bill introduced in the Rajya Sabha on March 25, which would have provided for the allocation of a significant number of important posts in the CAPF to deputized Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. 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% of the posts in the rank of Additional Director General and 100% of the 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 CAPF and IPS are under the administrative control of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

Retired personnel as well as Opposition parties said that despite frontline operations and many being killed on the line of action, CAPF officials are facing stagnation in their careers.

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

On March 16, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met Mr. Malik at his official residence at RK Puram in Delhi, while he was recovering. Mr Singh hoped that the Home Minister would also meet his son soon.