Congress seeks judicial probe into Bengaluru bed allotment scam

The Congress leaders charged that the BJP legislators, who were involved in the scam, wanted 75% of the beds allocated in the war room

Congress leaders in the state have demanded a judicial probe into the alleged bed allocation scam in Bengaluru Covid war rooms.

Following a recent 'bed scam' exposed by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, Congress MLAs, including Ramalinga Reddy, Krishna Byre Gowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao, alleged that the MP's supporters were themselves involved in the alleged racket. They were allotting beds to asymptomatic patients instead of ensuring beds for those with severe symptoms, the leaders said.

Read | The Tejasvi Surya effect: Trauma, harassment and suspension

The Congress leaders further charged that the BJP legislators, who were involved in the scam, wanted 75 per cent of the beds allocated in the war room. However, when IAS officials resisted undue interference, the BJP leaders were upset. This eventually led to the MP seeking suspension of 17 employees of the minority community, they alleged.

The officials had already written to Chief Secretary P Ravi Kumar about undue interference by BJP legislators in allocation of beds. Even though the IAS officers' association has complained to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa against the alleged manhandling of V Yashwanth by BJP loyalists, the CCB has not yet filed an FIR. Since the CCB functions under the state government, only a judicial probe can do justice in the case, the Congress MLAs said.