Vikas Samyal, a brigadier of the Indian Army, died in Kolkata on July 2, 2020, of complications related to coronavirus infection.
Posted at Eastern Command, he is believed to be the highest-ranking Indian Army officer to have lost his life to the virus.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee offered her condolences to his family. West Bengal government's Home Department tweeted, "Hon'ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and GOWB express deep condolences on untimely passing away of Brigadier Vikas Samyal……who succumbed to Covid19 today at the Command Hospital Kolkata."
The officer had been admitted to the Army's designated COVID-19 hospital, the Military Hospital at Barrackpore, where he tested positive for the virus. But after complications developed, he was moved to the Command Hospital in Kolkata.