On 2nd May 2021, 32 people died in Chamarajanagar District Hospital as a result of a lack of medical oxygen, during the COVID pandemic. Women who lost their spouses and many others are still waiting for the Congress government to fulfill its promises. Enraged by unmet promises of government jobs and compensation, they have now threatened drastic measures, including suicide.
Senior Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra,” promised government jobs to one member of each grieving family after the disaster. Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar offered each family an interim payment of Rs 1 lakh in June 2021. Families, however, the families complained that the commitments have not been fulfilled even two years after the Congress took office.
They are particularly upset because Chief Minister Siddaramaiah disregarded their requests when he visited Chamarajanagar on 24th April for a cabinet meeting and the unveiling of a Basavanna statue. This has angered some family members, who have left notes accusing him of being responsible for their deaths and threatening to commit suicide.
They organized protests in 2023, which attracted the notice of Minister K Venkatesh, who was in charge of the district. Following a discussion, the district administration offered them temporary positions at government facilities in Yelandur, Kollegal and Gundlupet. However, after a few months, they were told to report to Chamarajanagar Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) as “D” group workers. This infuriated families who opposed it, highlighting the distance and their inability to relocate to the area.
