Two more teams assist SIT to probe Kumbh Covid test scam

District Magistrate C Ravi Shankar and Mela Health officer formed two new teams to assist SIT in probing allegations that fake Covid tests were conducted during the Haridwar Maha Kumbh Mela.

Haridwar: With SIT probe gaining momentum in the allegations over irregularities in COVID-19 testing in Uttarakhand during the recently-concluded Kumbh Mela, two more teams have been constituted by the District Magistrate C Ravi Shankar and Mela Health officer. The SIT team set up by the Uttarakhand Police has to submit its report within 15 days. These three teams are probing allegations that fake Covid tests were conducted during the Haridwar Kumbh Mela.

A three-member committee formed under the leadership of Chief Development Officer Saurabh Gaharwar found that most of the mobile numbers, names and addresses registered in the Covid testing reports are fake. This committee was formed last week on the directions of DM C Ravi Shankar. According to sources, nearly 10,000 people have been identified who did not visit Haridwar during the Kumbh Mela but received Covid negative results through SMS.

Read:|SIT issues notice to 3 firms in alleged COVID testing scam at Kumbh

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Monday issued notices to three firms including Max Corporate Service New Delhi, Nalwa Laboratories Pvt Ltd of Haryana and Dr Lalchandani Lab for questioning. The SIT has given them four days to appear before it. Earlier on June 17, the Uttrakhand government also registered a case against two private labs and Max Corporate Limited agency, in connection with an alleged COVID-19 testing scam during the Maha Kumbh Mela. The state health department lodged an FIR at Nagar Kotwali police station against Max corporate agency, Lalchandani Labs and Nalwa Lab in Nagar Kotwali.

On Tuesday, the SIT interrogated the employees of these firms. The interrogation lasted for around four hours. The team also questioned an employee who was looking after Max Corporate Service's work in Haridwar during the Mahakumbh. Notably, the employee had resigned right after the Kumbh Mela concluded.

For the last two days, SIT has been recording statements of CMO Dr Shambhu Nath Jha and Kumbh Mela CMO Dr Arjun Singh Sengar. SIT-in-charge Rakesh Rawat, Investigating Officer Rajesh Sah, SIT officer Rajendra Singh Rawat also reached Haridwar to participate in the enquiry.

Recent investigations have also revealed that the private agency accused of irregularities in COVID-19 tests during the recently concluded Kumbh Mela, continued to upload data on the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), portal even after its agreement with the Mela administration concluded.

Read:|U'khand: SIT to probe 'fake' Covid testing during Kumbh

According to the police, the period of the contract for corona investigations signed between the Kumbh Mela Health Officer's office and the private agency Max Corporate as well as the two private laboratories Dr Lalchandani Lab and Nalwa Laboratories was valid only till April.

As per law, the labs should have stopped conducting COVID-19 tests after this period, but during an investigation by the SIT constituted a day after a case was registered against Max Corporate Service and the two private laboratories, it was revealed that the labs kept uploading the test data on the ICMR portal till May 16.

Meanwhile, the story of Covid test fraud at Kumbh Mela 2021 in Uttarakhand's Haridwar has gone global after reputed American media outlet - The New York Times raised the issue by tweeting the published story related to the Covid test fraud. The New York Times detailed this news in its column saying that 'a government report found that private agencies responsible for Covid tests of pilgrims at a Hindu festival in India, gave at least 1 lakh fake results'.

On the other hand, the Uttarakhand government's Spokesperson Subodh Uniyal has claimed that no Covid testing scam took place during Haridwar Maha Kumbh Mela. Subodh Uniyal has stated that no case of fake Covid testing during Kumbh Mela has emerged so far. He said that the issue pertaining to the irregularities in COVID-19 testing is a backdated case that emerged before the notification of Kumbh Mela was issued.

Uniyal said that orders have been given to probe Covid testing labs all across the state by scanning their records and in this way all the speculations will come to an end soon. The opposition had also attacked the BJP-led state government over the issue and accused it of increasing cases of Covid infections in other states due to mismanagement in Covid testing during Kumbh.

Read:|'Amounts to attempt to murder': U'khand ex CM on Kumbh Covid test scam