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D’Cunha panel submits probe report to CMO
A judicial panel submitted its report on the 2021 oxygen crisis at Chamarajanagar Hospital, reigniting debate over accountability and political implications.
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A judicial committee examining the deaths and injuries that occurred during the oxygen crisis at Chamarajanagar District Hospital in 2021 submitted its long-awaited report to chief minister Siddaramaiah on Monday, reviving public attention on one of BJP government’s politically contentious pandemic-era tragedies.
The panel, led by retired Justice Michael D’Cunha, handed over its findings at the chief minister’s Kaveri residence, in the presence of his legal adviser, AS Ponnanna, and political secretary, Nasir Ahmed.
The contents have not been made public.
The deaths occurred between the night of May 2, 2021, and the early hours of May 3, 2021, when a disruption in oxygen supply resulted in the loss of 32 lives at the Chamarajanagar hospital. Families later attributed the deaths to administrative failure, and activists called for accountability from those overseeing the district administration and hospital operations at the time.
Among the issues drawing renewed attention is what the committee has said about the role of Dr. K. Sudhakar, currently a Member of Parliament from Chikkaballapur, who served as Karnataka’s Health Minister during the second wave of the Covid pandemic. His tenure has remained at the centre of political debate surrounding the tragedy, with allegations from critics that inquiries into the episode were shaped by political hostility. Supporters of Dr. Sudhakar have long dismissed such claims.
Of the victims’ families, 21 sought government employment as compensation, a subject that was discussed in a cabinet meeting after the incident. When the tragedy occurred, Siddaramaiah was the Leader of the Opposition and accused the government then in power of gross negligence. After he became chief inister, his administration rejected the findings of an earlier probe led by Justice B.A. Patil and appointed Justice D’Cunha to conduct a new investigation.
