‘No Guilty Will Be Spared, Zero Tolerance For Corruption’: Uttarakhand CM On ‘Fake’ Covid Tests At Kumbh Mela

Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Tirath Singh Rawat and former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat have reacted to allegations of fake Covid-19 tests during the Kumbh Mela held earlier this year in Haridwar.

Reports say that 1 lakh fake Covid-19 tests were conducted during the Mela.

Reportedly, the police has lodged the first FIR in the case against a local agency accused of fabricating thousands of rapid tests.

Tirath Singh Rawat has said that the state government has asked senior officials in Haridwar to submit a detailed report on the matter within a week. He has said that no guilty will be spared.

He has also said that his government has zero tolerance against corruption. The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Union Health Ministry have initiated a probe into the matter, he added.

Former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat has reportedly called for an impartial investigation. “This (the testing allegations) is a serious crime, not negligence. Stringent action should be taken and an impartial investigation should be conducted,” he has been quoted as saying.

Reportedly, the state health department lodged an FIR on the basis of a complaint by Haridwar chief medical officer.

Reports say that "three labs were booked for negligence, spreading disease, cheating and criminal conspiracy, and under sections of the 2005 disaster management act and the 1897 epidemic diseases act."

Defending himself, Tirath Singh Rawat has reportedly said that he came to power as the chief minister of the state in March while this is an old issue. "When we got information about this, we immediately instituted an inquiry... Strict action will be taken against the guilty,” he has been quoted as saying.

Reports point that allegations of fake testing for Covid-19 surfaced last week when a resident of Faridkot (Punjab) "complained to the authorities that he received a message for collecting his Covid report despite never having been tested." A probe followed.

The probe reportedly "unearthed" roughly 100,000 fake rapid antigen tests.