HK Patil raises questions about COVID death figures in B'luru

Bengaluru: Senior Congress legislator HK Patil on Monday, August 31 claimed there was a 32 percent increase in the overall deaths in the city in the first six months of this year compared to the corresponding period last year and sought to know if the government was hiding actual COVID-19 fatalities.

Citing data from the crematoriums and burial grounds in the city, the former minister said a total of 49,135 deaths had been reported here between January and July this year, compared to 37,001 in the same period in 2019.

He sought to know the reasons for the 32 percent increase in death rate saying the official data showed only 1,886 people had died of Covid-19 between March till date.

“Is the government hiding something…? is this being one out of mal-intention to show less COVID deaths?” he asked. Patil also urged the government to constitute a team for a “quick study report” to assess causes for the increase in deaths.

As of August 31 evening, cumulatively 3,42,423 COVID-19 positive cases have been confirmed in the state, which includes 5,702 deaths and 2,49,467 discharges. Bengaluru Urban district tops the list of positive cases, with a total of 1,29,125 infections. The city has reported 1,965 deaths and 90,043 discharges so far.