Uttarakhand Govt Orders FIR Against Private Labs Accused Of Conducting Fake Covid Tests At Kumbh

A probe was ordered by the Haridwar district administration after reports emerged that over one lakh fake tests were conducted during the mass religious gatherings.

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New Delhi: The Uttarakhand government has instructed the Haridwar district administration to lodge an FIR against private laboratories accused of conducting fake Covid tests during the Kumbh Mela.

The private laboratories, based in Delhi and Haryana, were authorised to conduct Covid tests during the Kumbh Mela from April 1 to 30. 

"Uttarakhand government has ordered the Haridwar district administration to register FIR in Covid testing scam during Mahakumbh. An order issued to file a case against labs from Delhi and Haryana, which conducted testing at 5 places in Haridwar during Kumbh Mela," state government's spokesperson Subodh Uniyal told news agency ANI.

A probe was ordered by the Haridwar district administration after reports emerged that over one lakh fake tests were conducted during the mass religious gatherings.

The reports revealed that the labs apparently did so to meet the daily testing quota of 50,000 tests set by the Uttarakhand High Court.

Payment to all labs that had been assigned the responsibility of conducting tests -- RT-PCR and rapid antigen -- during the Kumbh has been withheld for the time being because of the ongoing investigation, Haridwar District Magistrate C Ravishankar had informed.

22 private labs were hired by the Uttarakhand government to conduct testing during the festival. 

Kumbh Mela, which is attended by people from different parts of the country in large numbers, was held this year even as the threat of Covid second wave loomed and finally struck amid the gatherings.

At least 70 lakh devotees are believed to have participated in the Kumbh Mela held in Haridwar. According to news agency PTI, about 2,600 devotees tested positive out of the nearly 2 lakh tests conducted by medical personnel during the religious gathering.