As India grapples with the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the healthcare system across the country is under immense pressure with hospitals reporting a shortage of beds. In view of the shortages of beds amid the surge in infections, the Karnataka government had set up war rooms in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) zones to allot hospital beds for Covid-19 patients in Bengaluru.

However, since the last 15 days, anyone who called BBMP for beds was told that there were no beds available, including oxygen and ICU beds.

After hearing about the bed booking scam involving BBMP officials, BJP MP Tejasvi Surya and other BJP MLAs rushed to south BBMP war room to take stock of the situation. It was found that BBMP officials, in nexus with outside agents, were collecting bribes to allot beds reserved under government quota for Covid-19 patients.