Retd HC judge to probe death of 24 COVID patients due to oxygen shortage in Karnataka
Bengaluru, May 5: The Karnataka government on Wednesday appointed retired High Court judge Justice B A Patil as the one-man commission to inquire into the death of 24 COVID patients in Chamarajanagar district allegedly owing to oxygen shortage.
A notification regarding the appointment of Justice Patil was issued by the Additional Chief Secretary in the Home Department, Rajneesh Goel on Wednesday.
The term of reference of the Commission read, "To inquire into the circumstances and events leading to the death of COVID-19 patients in District Hospital, Chamarajanagar on May 3, reportedly due to scarcity of oxygen and any further similar incidents, which are entrusted to the Commission of Inquiry by Government."
The office of the commission has to submit its report in one month.
The notification said the officers concerned including the Deputy Commissioners of Chamarajanagar and Mysuru districts should hand over immediately all requisite documents and material evidence to the Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Department for onward submission to the Inquiry Commission.
The order came following the directions of the Karnataka High Court, which had taken a serious note of the deaths in Chamarajanagar and recommended a judicial inquiry.
The state government had previously appointed IAS officer Shivayogi Kalasad, the managing director of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, as an investigating officer to probe the matter within three days.
The state Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar had maintained that only three deaths took place due to shortage of oxygen and not 24 as has been reported.
The opposition Congress, however, claimed that 28 people died.
Close on the heels of the Chamarajanagar incident, seven COVID patients died in Kalaburagi and Belagavi district allegedly due to lack of oxygen on Tuesday morning.
There has been an unprecedented rise in COVID cases in the state, which is reporting over 44,000 cases and over 200 deaths daily resulting in the shortage of oxygen, drugs and hospital beds, especially the ICU beds.
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Hormuz Strait disruptions have caused huge economic impact, energy instability in region: Navy chief
Mumbai (PTI): The Strait of Hormuz disruptions have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region, Indian Navy chief Admiral D K Tripathi said on Thursday amid the war in West Asia.
Speaking at an event where INS Sunayna, an offshore patrol vessel, set sail from Mumbai as Indian Ocean Ship (IOS) Sagar, the admiral said competition at sea has no longer remained confined to oil and energy.
It is now expanding towards resources that will shape future growth - such as rare earth elements, critical minerals, new fishing grounds and even data, he said.
The West Asia crisis began on February 28 after a joint attack by the US and Israel on Iran.
Iran's strikes on its neighbours along with its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz have disrupted the world's energy supplies with effects far beyond West Asia.
"With the conflict in West Asia well into its fifth week, the disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz have caused severe economic impact and energy instability in the region," Tripathi said.
There is significant increase in the marine survey, deep-sea research activity, and Illegal Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (IUU), often encroaching upon the sovereign rights of littoral nations and exploiting gaps in monitoring and enforcement, he said.
Alongside these, threats such as piracy, armed robbery and narco-trafficking backed by unimpeded access of advanced technology to non-state actors, have also become more complex and challenging to counter, the Navy chief pointed out.
Last year alone, the Indian Ocean Region witnessed a staggering 3,700 maritime incidents of varying nature, the admiral said.
Additionally, narcotics seizures in the region exceeded USD 1 billion USD in 2025, highlighting the persistence and spread of such challenges in the region, he said.
