COVID-19 testing scam in Mahakumbh: Uttarakhand govt orders FIR against labs from Delhi, Haryana

In Haridwar, as many as 6,00,291 COVID-19 tests were conducted, and 17,375 cases were reported, resulting in a positivity rate of 2.89 per cent. In the other 12 districts of Uttarakhand, 4,42,432 samples were tested for COVID-19 and 62,755 tested positive.

Haridwar: Uttarakhand govt orders Haridwar district administration to register an FIR in the COVID testing scam during Mahakumbh. The state government issued an order to file a case against labs from Delhi and Haryana, which conducted testing at five places in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela, said an official.

The state government spokesperson, Subodh Uniyal, told ANI that an order has been issued to file a case against labs from Delhi and Haryana, which conducted testing at five places in Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela. The action comes days after reports of fake COVID-19 testing during Mahakumbh surfaced, saying that at least 1 lakh COVID-19 reports of tests conducted during Kumbh Mela have been found to be fake. 

The Maha Kumbh Mela was held from April 1 to 30 this year and was spread over Haridwar district and Rishikesh region, which includes Rishikesh in Dehradun district, Muni ki Reti in Tehri and Swargashram in Pauri.

Annop Nautiyal, the Social Development for Community Foundation, on Wednesday, told ANI, "The COVID-19 test data of Kumbh Mela area and its results were not shared in the public domain, cases, investigations, deaths, recoveries and other information of 13 districts of Uttarakhand were being shared in the state health bulletin In this way, the complete picture of the Kumbh Mela area was never available."

Nautiyal further said that the ongoing investigation in the matter should not only focus on private labs, but should cover all government labs and all agencies, which were working during that time, adding that due to these alleged irregularities in Haridwar, the COVID-19 data of the entire state has come under suspicion. 

"A judicial inquiry should be conducted not only by getting the matter investigated by the agencies of the state government. If any lab or officer is found guilty in this case, then penal action should be taken against them as per law," Nautiyal reportedly said.

Notably, Between April 1 and 30 this year, 58 per cent of the total COVID-19 tests conducted in the state were held in Haridwar district, an analysis by the Social Development for Community Foundation revealed. During the same period, the positivity rate in Haridwar district was 80 per cent less than that of Uttarakhand, Anoop Nautiyal, the founder of Foundation said while analyzing the huge disturbances in the RTPCR investigation during the Haridwar Mahakumbh. 

In Haridwar, as many as 6,00,291 COVID-19 tests were conducted, and 17,375 cases were reported, resulting in a positivity rate of 2.89 per cent. In other 12 districts of Uttarakhand, 4,42,432 samples were tested for COVID-19 and 62,755 tested positive. The positivity rate in the rest of the state was 14.18 per cent. 

"The COVID-19 test data of Kumbh Mela area and its results were not shared in the public domain, cases, investigations, deaths, recoveries and other information of 13 districts of Uttarakhand were being shared in the state health bulletin In this way, the complete picture of the Kumbh Mela area was never available," Nautiyal said.