The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has completed 12 consecutive months without an operational fatality, marking the first such year in its history since 1947. The force’s last operational death was reported on 30 October 2025, CRPF Director General G P Singh said on Monday.
The milestone comes as the CRPF continues to operate in several high-risk theatres, including Jammu and Kashmir, Left-wing extremism-affected areas and Manipur. The force has been deployed in Manipur since violence broke out there in 2023, while its personnel have also led operations against Maoist insurgents in areas affected by Left-wing extremism.
“A significant milestone in the history of CRPF - 12 consecutive months have passed without any operational fatality, the last operational fatality being on Oct 30, 2025,” CRPF Director General G P Singh said.
Equipment and evacuation credited with reducing deaths
Singh attributed the result to a combination of modern hardware, improved training, operational planning and faster evacuation of injured personnel to medical facilities. A CRPF official said the force had changed the way it planned operations and treated routine movement in high-risk areas, while personnel were provided protective equipment.
The official also said that 1.5 times the required force is deployed during operations. The stated aim is to reduce exposure to threats and provide greater support during movement and contact. The force’s approach includes treating routine movements in areas assessed as dangerous as operational movements rather than ordinary administrative travel.
- Last operational fatality: 30 October 2025
- Fatality-free period: 12 consecutive months
- Operational deaths since 1947: 2,268 CRPF personnel
- Highest annual toll: 143 fatalities in 2010
Medical response has been identified as another important factor. A post-analysis cited by a CRPF official found that between three-fourths and four-fifths of fatalities occur several days after an injury. The official said timely treatment could prevent some of those deaths, with air ambulances being used to move injured personnel to advanced hospitals.
Record follows operations in conflict-affected areas
The CRPF said its personnel were involved in the fight against Left-wing extremism in 2026, including operations targeting Maoist leadership and activity in what the force described as pocket boroughs. The force also cited Operation Black Forest, during which it said there was no casualty among its personnel even as 21 Naxalites were killed. The statement about the deaths of the Naxalites is attributed to the CRPF.
Since Independence, 2,268 CRPF personnel have been killed in operations, according to the figures cited by the force, an average of more than 28 operational deaths a year. The highest annual toll was 143 in 2010, when 75 personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush, the CRPF said.
This is the sixth occasion on which the CRPF has recorded no fatal operational casualties. The previous longest such period lasted 24 months, from February 1977 to January 1979. The latest milestone covers a force operating simultaneously in counter-insurgency, anti-insurgency and internal-security deployments, with the CRPF leadership linking the result to preparation, protection and the speed with which injured personnel reach specialised medical care.
