The Karnataka State Human Rights Commission (KSHRC) has accepted a complaint against the state government over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a letter dated July 29, Congress MLA HK Patil wrote to the Commission alleging major lapses in governance which ‘affected the general population’.

The SHRC accepted the complaint, and passed an order which reads, “It is alleged in the complaint that since few months, the people of Karnataka are dying due to COVID-19 Pandemic spread. More than 2000 people are affected every day and 40-50 people are dying every day due to COVID-19, but the government is not taking care of it and there is lack of sincerity amongst the politicians as well as Government officials.”

The order states that there is rampant corruption in crisis management.

It said, “There is rampant corruption and the victims are not getting proper treatment in Covid centres and they are not getting even ambulance service even after waiting for 2-3 days because of which they lose their lives without proper care and treatment. The doctors and nurses are not having PPE kits and bodies of the COVID-19 patients are not cremated in a humanitarian manner in various districts i.e., Ballari, Raichur, Davanagere, Chitradurga, Bengaluru etc., causing gross violation of human rights of the people of the State.”

A hearing on the issue was held on July 28 headed by Chairperson (Retd) Justice DH Waghela.

The Congress has consistently raised allegations of governmental corruption in the management of COVID-19 in the state. Congress leader and Karnataka Leader of Opposition Siddaramaiah has been vocal about alleged corruption in the procurement of beds for the 10,000-bed COVID Care Centre in Bengaluru. Another allegation has surfaced that the government has bought test kits at a much higher price than other states have.