Chandigarh, Jul 11 (IANS): The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), here on Saturday, demanded probe by a central agency or a sitting high court judge into the fake Covid-19 report scam.

The Chief Secretary's latest order to take back the inquiry from the Vigilance Department and entrust it to the police had shaken the faith of the people, the SAD said in a statement.

Bikram Singh Majithia, a former minister, said it was shocking that efforts were being made by Congressmen to save Tuli Diagnostic Centre and EMC Hospital (both in Amritsar) that committed crime against humanity by declaring Covid-19 free people positive and keeping them with coronavirus patients at isolation centres with the sole aim of extorting lakhs of rupees from them.

"This criminal act has sent shock waves in Amritsar. The people are expecting exemplary action against the guilty. The Vigilance Department was entrusted with the probe after the Amritsar police failed to make any headway in the case due to political pressure," he said.

A case of attempt to murder has been registered against the owners of Tuli Diagnoistic Centre and its two technicians. A case of fraud has case been filed against the owner as well as a doctor of the EMC Hospital.

He said people were shocked that instead of taking the case to its logical conclusion efforts were being made to dilute it and give the guilty a clean chit.

"It's being done at the behest of Congress leaders who have all along provided political patronage to owners of Tuli Lab and EMC Hospital and not allowed any arrest in the case," he said.

Majithia said the about turn in the case occurred after EMC Hospital owner Pankaj Soni had a meeting with high officers two days back. Sandeep Bawa Sandhu, an OSD to the Chief Minister, also played a big role in this turn of events, he said.

Asking Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh to intervene in the matter, Majithia said the suffering caused to innocents by Tuli Lab and EMC Hospital were unimaginable and they should not be let off under any circumstances.

Citing an example of the horrendous deed, he said a 9-month pregnant woman was wrongfully shown Covid-19 positive by Tuli Lab and kept in an isolation ward with positive patients, endangering her as well as her child's lives.