Delhi govt resends file to LG seeking probe in deaths due to oxygen shortage, writes to Amit Shah

The Delhi government has resent a file to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal seeking approval for formation of a committee of health experts to ascertain if oxygen-related deaths took place during the second COVID-19 wave, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Monday. 

Sisodia said he has also written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the oxygen crisis in the national capital during the second wave of coronavirus and urged him to direct the LG to approve the formation of the committee.

“The Centre and courts want to know the number of deaths due to oxygen shortage. But it is not possible to ascertain exact number of people who died due to oxygen shortage during the second wave. So, I have again sent the file pertaining to formation of a committee to probe deaths caused by oxygen crisis to the LG,” he said, adding that he was hopeful of getting the permission soon.

Earlier, Sisodia had said that the Delhi government had formed a six-member committee to ascertain the deaths due to oxygen shortage in the national capital during the second wave but the LG had rejected the formation of the committee.

So far, the only committee that looked into allegations of oxygen shortage-related deaths in Delhi had examined data from six private hospitals. It was formed on April 28 based on a Delhi High Court order.

In its report, submitted on May 2, the committee had observed that out of the six hospitals that shared records with it, only Jaipur Golden claimed deaths had taken place in its facility due to oxygen shortage. However, the committee concluded that since hospital records do not indicate any shortage of oxygen, it could not be ascertained as the cause of death.

The national capital had reeled under a brutal second wave of Covid which claimed several lives with oxygen crisis and shortage of beds adding to the woes of the people. Putting the entire blame of the Centre, the Delhi government said that it did not have any data regarding deaths due to the lack of oxygen as the central government had not let it form a committee to look into the deaths of people.