Prominent Bengaluru college accused of covering up Covid-19 cases

A prominent college located in the heart of Bengaluru has been found suppressing Covid-19 cases and continuing with offline classes, putting thousands of students at the risk of infection.

A 17-year-old student tested positive for Covid-19 in the last week of November and reported it to the college authorities, documents seen by DH show. Around 10 students have tested positive since then, students have told this newspapers.

Also read: Omicron: Medical colleges across Karnataka put on high alert

This newspaper has also learnt that the student's parent had sent an e-mail to the college principal. The student had attended practical classes just a day before testing positive. As per the rules, the college authorities should have shut the institution for five days and sanitised the premises. But no such action was taken.

The college authorities not only continued with physical classes but also failed to inform the Health Department, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Department of Pre-University Education.

Also read: 16 Omicron cases in Karnataka, not 2, claims H K Patil

Pre-university students at the college said the primary contacts of the infected student were not tested. "The college management has exposed us to a risk," a student said.

But the Covid talk couldn't be suppressed for long.

After receiving phone calls from students and parents, the Deputy Director of Pre- University Education, Bengaluru North, inquired with the principal. But the college management told him no such cases were reported, the official told DH.

The speculation also prompted the BBMP's health department to visit the college on Friday and test 21 students. All of them have tested negative. A BBMP official said they visited the college "after cases were reported in and around college".

Check out latest coronavirus-related videos from DH: