Bengaluru: Four years after the Chamarajanagar oxygen tragedy in which atleast 24 COVID patients died at Chamarajanagar District Hospital  for lack of oxygen, the State Government has rejected Justice (Retd) B.A. Patil Commission report on the incident.

Announcing this to media persons after the Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting here yesterday, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who chaired the meeting,  said that the Government has rejected the one-man Justice B.A. Patil Commission Report on Chamarajanagar oxygen tragedy and the Cabinet Sub-Committee has decided to form another expert panel comprising IAS and IPS Officers to review Justice Michael D’Cunha Commission Report which probed the alleged irregularities in the Health Department during COVID period.

Pointing out that Justice D’Cunha Report is too exhaustive and as such it is difficult to study it wholly, Shivakumar said that the meeting came up with a proposal to form another expert Committee (panel) for studying the Report, which was agreed upon.

 Sources said that the meeting also deliberated on the names of top officers and Bureaucrats who functioned during COVID period, to be included in the panel. The names of retired IAS Officer V. Manjula and retired IPS Officer N.S. Megharik cropped up chiefly at the meeting. However, it was left to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to take a final decision in this regard. This panel, upon formation, will visit Chamarajanagar and a couple of other districts for a study, sources added.