Fake COVID-19 vaccination camp: How West Bengal reacted to private inoculation drives and why TMC and BJP are squabbling

The West Bengal government on Monday reportedly suspended private COVID-19 vaccination camps after a fake vaccination camp was busted last week. Debanjan Deb allegedly posed as a Joint Commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and organised COVID-19 vaccination camps with three others. The scam came to light when TMC MP Mimi Chakraborty filed a complaint against Deb, who has been arrested and named as the accused. The TMC MP, who was invited to attend the camp in the Kasba area of the city, was the first to raise alarm after she did not receive the customary message sent to those who are inoculated, PTI reported. On Monday, the Kolkata Police conducted a raid on Deb’s residence. The police said, “A team conducted a raid at the residence of accused Debanjan, who organised fake vaccine camps and recovered some stamps, forged documents of various departments. Three debit cards and bank passbooks were also recovered.” The police also added the charge of attempt to murder in the FIR against him and his accomplices. They have also been charged with criminal conspiracy, forgery and cheating. After the bust, police seized vials that only contained “dust and some liquid”, News18 reported. However, PTI quoted health department sources as saying, “Initial findings suggest that people were administered antibiotic Amikacin instead of Covid vaccines, and it had no major impact on their health.” “The accused has claimed that he had procured the vaccines from outside Swastha Bhawan and Bagri market. We are sending the samples to examine if they were genuine vaccines or not,” DC ( South Suburban Division) Rashid Munir Khan was quoted by The Indian Express as saying. How has the West Bengal government reacted? On its part, the West Bengal government has set up an expert committee to examine the effect of fake vaccination administered to people at the camp and take corrective action. The four-member panel will be submitting a detailed report soon, the government said. Health camps were also organised by the government for those who had been given the shots at the camps run by Deb. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was scheduled to preside over a high-level meeting on Monday. A senior official at the State Health Department said, “We have decided not to allow any private vaccination camps in West Bengal till we receive the renewed order from the Chief Minister’s Office. However, those who wanted to take their first or second dose of vaccinations can visit any government and private hospitals to take the vaccines.” The department also released a set of SOPs for operating COVID-19 vaccination centres or camps under non-government initiative. What are the state government’s new guidelines?

• On Monday, reports said that the Mamata Banerjee government has temporarily suspended private vaccination camps and will frame more stringent methods to curb such malpractices.
• The guidelines, issued by the Mamata Banerjee government on Sunday, said, “All the private commercial health facilities, working administrations planning to set up COVID vaccination camp (CVC) must seek prior permission from the Health Department. The CVC must appoint a nodal officer who will be the point of contact of the CVC and health department.”
• The state government also stipulated that it will be mandatory for the CVC to disclose the source from which it is procuring the vaccines. The CVC must also present a report of the day-to-day use of the vaccine doses.
• “The CVC will have to submit a list of people who have completed two doses of vaccines every weekend, and poor compliances and violation of norms can also lead to cancellation of the CVC,” the guidelines added.
• The government said that the vaccination camp can be conducted only after written approval from the West Bengal Health Department.
• Lastly, the directives instructed that the CoWin app has to be used as the sole portal for all vaccinations and that prior permission from local police stations must also be secured before the camp is set up.

The case so far Earlier in the day, Kolkata Police arrested the three of Deb’s associates. Two of them were found to be signatories to a fake bank account that was registered against the name of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The third was on the payroll of Deb and had actively taken part in the vaccination camps. “One is a resident of Salt Lake while another is from Barasat. Both were called for questioning before they were arrested,” a senior police officer said. Three more cases have been registered against Deb at Kasba Police Station, he said. War of words between TMC and BJP The BJP, one of the main Opposition parties in the state, demanded a CBI inquiry into the “fake” COVID-19 vaccination camp. The saffron party also accused the ruling TMC of being involved in the scam. The TMC countered the allegations saying that the BJP “has nothing to say except talk about the CBI probe all the time”. BJP state general secretary Sayantan Basu said, “We demand a CBI inquiry into this fake COVID-19 vaccination drive case in Kolkata. Although a probe is underway but it requires a CBI inquiry as TMC leaders, state government officials and the Kolkata mayor are involved. “It is a conspiracy to malign the Central government as it is providing Covid-19 vaccines to the states. We also want the Centre to look into it and find out its roots.” Echoing his statement, West Bengal BJP vice-president Joy Prakash Majumdar said, “There is a need for a thorough investigation. But who will investigate? Will the investigation be carried out by those who are involved? Can they be the referee after committing the foul? We demand a CBI probe into the case.” Additionally, newly-elected BJP MLA and Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendhu Adhikari met health department officials at the Swasthya Bhavan. Hitting back at the saffron party, TMC leader Firhad Hakim said, “They have nothing to say, and that’s why they talk about the CBI probe all the time. That is their only ally. The police have arrested the culprit. We hope that he will get the most stringent punishment for this act.” With inputs from agencies