New Delhi

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal has again rejected the Delhi government's proposal to form a panel to "investigate deaths due to oxygen shortage" in the national capital.

No one can deny that Delhi grappled with an oxygen crisis in April and May during the second Covid wave and also no one can deny that people died in the capital due to shortage of oxygen, he said during an online press conference.

"We had resubmitted a file for the constitution of a panel to probe deaths due to oxygen shortage. The LG (lieutenant governor) is saying that there is no need for that," Sisodia said. The deputy chief minister said that on one hand, the Centre has been asking states to tell how many people died due to oxygen shortage and on the other, "You have not been allowing us to investigate such deaths". "Then how will states tell?" he asked.

"That means the Centre wants us to give in writing that no death occurred due to the shortage of oxygen. It will be a big lie," Sisodia said.