Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru on Thursday, Karnataka Law Minister HK Patil said that the SIT will be led by an officer of the rank of Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Minister Patil hit out at the BJP and alleged that the previous government “behaved inhumanely.”
He said that the people of Karnataka faced the “biggest disaster” with the BJP “mismanaging” the COVID-19 pandemic in the state.
Minister Patil accused the previous BJP-led government of mishandling the COVID crisis, calling it inhumane and corrupt. He claimed the government engaged in fraud, lost crucial documents, misled accounts, and obstructed investigations by barring committees, including the PSI committee, from functioning.
He further alleged that the BJP-led government purchased Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at an inflated rate, and purchased expired medicines.
Karnataka Minister Alleges Corruption in COVID Management; Calls for Prosecution of Former CM and Minister
“They purchased from blacklisted companies and they also mislead saying all of its donated, then paid them. All this information has came out,” he added.
The minister further highlighted the formation of a committee to investigate the irregularities in the procurement of PPE kits.
The committee reviewed 50,000 documents and found significant corruption during COVID, sharing findings with the cabinet subcommittee.
“Main issue which came out was huge corruption in covid management, Inhuman things came out.
The Justice John Michael D’Cunha Commission recommended prosecuting former CM BS Yediyurappa and ex-Health Minister B Sriramulu over the purchase of 3 lakh PPE kits from Chinese firms.
