Chamarajanagar: Following the Karnataka High Court order to the State Government to immediately seize all the relevant records in the Offices of the Deputy Commissioners of Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts, and the Chamarajanagar District Hospital on oxygen supply and correspondences among the authorities in the two districts for the relevant period, a team of Police officers led by Dy.SP Priyadarshini Sanekoppa conducted raids last evening. 

Raids were conducted at the District COVID Health Centre and documents confiscated. The team also visited the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, Office of the District Health Officer, Government Medical College and the Office of the Dean, Medical College and sourced all oxygen supply-related documents. 

The raids were conducted simultaneously and teams from local Police Stations were also used for the operation. All the Policemen were asked to switch off their mobile phones and only wireless networks were used for communication, sources said.

The High Court Special Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Abhay Shreeniwas Oka and Justice Aravind Kumar issued this direction after taking serious exception to the decision of the State Government to set up a commission of inquiry under the Commission of Inquiry Act, 1952, and appointing a retired Judge to probe incident of 24 COVID-19 patients in Chamarajanagar without taking prior approval from the Court. 

“The intention of the Government is very clear from the manner in which the whole thing is being done by the Government. It is a pre-emptory order. We are not on you for appointing a particular Judge. But in all fairness you should have left it to the Court to appoint a retired Judge to conduct an inquiry,” the Bench observed asking State Advocate-General (A-G) Prabhuling K. Navadagi to immediately inform Chief Secretary to seize the documents. 

The A-G told the Court that the Chief Secretary had entrusted the task of seizing the records to the IAS Officer Shivayogi Kalasad, appointed to conduct preliminary inquiry into the incident.

Under pressure, DHO collapses 

During the raids conducted by the Police, Chamarajanagar District Health Officer (DHO) Dr. M.C. Ravi fell ill and collapsed. Shocked by the incident, the Police and the Health Office staff rushed him to the District Hospital for treatment. His condition is stable now and is recuperating. 

Hearing about the incident, Chamarajanagar District Minister S. Suresh Kumar, who was in the District yesterday, rushed to the Hospital along with DC Dr. M.R. Ravi. Doctors told the Minister that the DHO collapsed as he was handling a high-pressure job and he has low BP. 

Sources said that the DHO had faced severe pressure as there was an acute oxygen shortage since last Sunday. Between the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, 24 patients died and the DHO stay put at the hospital the entire night and he could not go home the next day (Monday) due to the District Minister and Health Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar’s visit. He also faced a volley of questions from the VVIPs and also media. His role was under the scanner and he faced tremendous pressure. On Tuesday too, he did not get rest as former CM Siddharamaiah visited Chamarajanagar along with State Congress President D.K. Shivakumar. Next came the visit of senior IAS Officer Shivayogi Kalasad who was appointed by the State Government to probe the tragedy.