CRPF Completes First Year Without Operational Casualties in 47 Years
The Central Reserve Police Force has completed 12 consecutive months without recording a single operational death across India. The last operational casualty suffered by the paramilitary force occurred on October 30, 2025.
Director General Gyanendra Pratap Singh described the zero-fatality record as a significant milestone in the history of the organisation. The milestone marks the first time in 47 years that the force has gone an entire year without an operational fatality, with the previous comparable stretch ending in January 1979.
Operational Theatres and Insurgency Reductions
The achievement comes while the paramilitary force remains heavily engaged across major conflict zones including Jammu and Kashmir, Left-Wing Extremism regions, and Manipur. In Manipur, personnel have been deployed since ethnic strife began in May 2023, while anti-terror duties continue in Jammu and Kashmir.
The CRPF continues to be posted across major operational theatres and is also responsible for security at major shrines, including the Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya, Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, and Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, according to The Tribune.
The casualty-free year coincided with India declaring itself free from Left-Wing Extremism as of March 31, 2026. Incidents of Maoist violence dropped from 1,936 in 2010 to 234 in 2025, reflecting an 88 per cent decline over that period.
Safety Reforms and Medical Evacuation Protocols
Singh attributed the milestone to modern hardware, enhanced training programmes, strategic planning, and faster evacuation of wounded personnel to medical centres. A senior CRPF official explained that the force now conducts in-depth planning for every tactical operation and treats routine administrative movements with the same precautions as combat deployments.
Tactical guidelines now mandate that 1.5 times the required force strength is assigned to field operations. During Operation Black Forest in Kareguttalu Hills, security forces killed 21 Naxalites while suffering zero casualties among personnel.
Internal reviews determined that between three-quarters and four-fifths of operational deaths historically occurred several days after personnel sustained injuries. To address this gap, air-ambulances arranged through the Ministry of Home Affairs now airlift wounded troops directly to secondary and tertiary hospitals.
Historical Casualties and Force Deployments
The force comprises approximately 3.25 lakh personnel assigned to anti-Naxal missions, counter-terror tasks, and regional counter-insurgency duties. Since 1947, 2,268 CRPF personnel have died during operations, representing an annual average of more than 28 fatalities.
The highest yearly casualty toll occurred in 2010, when 143 personnel died, including 75 troops killed during a Maoist ambush in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh. By contrast, nine personnel lost their lives during operational duties in 2025 before the current zero-casualty run began.
The current period represents the sixth stretch without operational casualties since 1947, with the earlier record lasting 24 months between February 1977 and January 1979. Singh previously oversaw a similar reduction to zero operational fatalities in 2023 while serving as the director general of police in Assam.