Secy among 36 persons at health min’s office booked for ‘forcibly’ getting Covid vaccine
An FIR has been lodged against Jamshedpur office in-charge of health and disaster management minister Banna Gupta on charges of forcing vaccination team to administer Covid-19 vaccine to 35 persons below the age of 45 years on May 11, three days before the vaccination drive for 18-44 years age group started in the state from Friday, officials said
An FIR has been lodged against Jamshedpur office in-charge of health and disaster management minister Banna Gupta on charges of forcing vaccination team to administer Covid-19 vaccine to 35 persons below the age of 45 years on May 11, three days before the vaccination drive for 18-44 years age group started in the state from Friday, officials said.
“An FIR has been lodged against Sanjay Tiwari and 35 other named accused for forcing a vaccination team to give them Covid-19 vaccine doses at Kadma New Farm Area communiy hall on May 11, despite all of them allegedly being below the age of 45 years, thus violating the state government as well as central government’s guideline and rules,” Manoj Thakur, Kadma police station officer in-charge (OC), said on Friday.
The OC said the FIR was filed late Thursday evening on the basis of a complaint lodged by incident commander cum executive magistrate Chandradeo Prasad on Tuesday. “The FIR was also filed for threatening the executive magistrate and three members of vaccination team, under Sections 188, 504 and 506 of IPC, 51 Act and 60, 61 of Epidemic Act,” said Thakur.
The matter was also reported to civil surgeon Dr AK Lal, district vaccination nodal officer Dr BN Usha and SDO Nitish Kumar and the complaint was filed as per their direction. “I filed the FIRs after finding allegations made in a written complaint by three female members of the vaccination team to be true. Sanjay Tiwari was told that vaccination was for people above 45 years of age at the centre, but he and 35 others forced the staff to administer them the vaccine,” said Prasad.
In their complaint, the three female members of the vaccination team also requested district authorities to shift them from the said vaccination centre in view of their safety and security.
As per the complaint, Sanjay Tiwari, health minister Banna Gupta’s personal secretary and office in-charge in Kadma, forced the vaccination team to give doses to 35 persons below the age of 45 years by signing and stamping in columns meant for authorised officers.
Prasad filed another complaint late Thursday evening against Tiwari and 25-30 others, accusing them of manhandling, misbehaving, abusing and threatening him. “Tiwari and 25-30 other persons intimidated me again at Kadma New Farm Area vaccination centre Thursday when I reached there around 12.15 pm,” he said.
When contacted, Tiwari, however, dismissed the allegations against him by terming them to be concocted and baseless. “I didn’t administer the vaccine to anyone. Who am I (to do that)? Moreover, none from 18-44 years age group can be given vaccine without slot booking,” said Tiwari, conveniently overlooking the fact that no such restriction is there for people above 45 years of age.
He also denied intimidating the executive magistrate and said it was some “irate” people who created a ruckus over computer operators reaching late at the centre. “In fact, the operators came at 1.30 pm while people were waiting in the queue since 10am,” said Tiwari.
