NHRC issues notice to Centre, Delhi govt over Covid mismanagement in city

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday issued notices to Delhi and Union Health Ministry on a complaint making serious allegations about the difficulties being faced by the general public in Delhi, due to non-availability of beds in the hospitals for the COVID-19 patients and the inadequate number of tests leading to a grim state of affairs and mismanagement, resulting in the death of a large number of people.

The Commission issued the notice on the complaint of Ajay Maken, Ex-President, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, and said, "He has not come up with mere allegations, rather he has made apparent sincere efforts to provide data in support of his complaint, which if true, raise a serious issue of the inappropriate approach of the government agencies towards the plight of the general public amounting to a serious issue of violation of human rights."

"Allegedly, there has been a massive delay in conducting the last rites of those died during the pandemic period; tests on the bodies of the symptomatic deceased are also not being conducted violating the WHO and ICMR norms which can be extremely dangerous," NHRC said in its notice.