India’s Gujarat admits to more COVID deaths than official tally

Aljazeera says India’s western state of Gujarat has acknowledged there were more COVID-19 deaths than its official tally, according to a court document, lending weight to fears that the country’s actual toll is much higher than reported.

Many media reports, based on figures collected from crematoriums and cemeteries, said that during India’s record second wave of cases between April and June, states including Gujarat undercounted deaths as many people died at home due to a severe shortage of hospital beds and oxygen.

Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state, told the Supreme Court it had received 22,557 applications as of Thursday from families of the dead seeking compensation and 16,175 had been approved, according to an affidavit filed on Monday.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/14/india-gujarat-covid-deaths-official-tally