India's official Covid-19 death numbers 'suspect', says Chidambaram

Citing the academic journal Science, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said the official number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the country is suspect.

The reputed journal estimates that the Covid toll in India between "1-6-2020 and 1-7-2021 was 3,200,000 - eight times the official death toll of 400,000", Chidambaram said on Twitter.

"Of these deaths, 2,700,000 occurred in the months of April, May and June 2021," he added.

The former Union minister said India has 638,365 villages.

"The Government's figures suggest that the average number of deaths per village was less than one! Unbelievable!

"Add the number of deaths in towns and cities. The official number is suspect," the Congress leader said.

The death toll has climbed to 5,14,388 with 142 more people succumbing to the disease, according to Health Ministry data on Thursday.

The Congress has been alleging much higher deaths in the country due to Covid and demanding that there be a fresh survey of deaths. PTI SKC