Jaipur, February 19 – Congress leader Ashok Gehlot has demanded the formation of a high-level scientific committee to investigate the increasing cases of cardiac arrests and sudden deaths among young people and children in Rajasthan.
Gehlot, a former Chief Minister of Rajasthan, said the concerns raised by Leader of the Opposition Tikaram Jully and other MLAs in the Assembly regarding this alarming trend are extremely serious.
He warned that the sudden deaths of seemingly healthy young people, and even doctors, are creating fear and suspicion in society.
Referring to international discussions on rare vaccine side effects, such as thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) linked to AstraZeneca's Covishield, Gehlot said that while recent ICMR reports (July 2025) found no direct link, research on the effects of Long COVID and vaccines on the cardiovascular system is still ongoing globally.
He said it is the responsibility of the government to clear public doubts through scientific investigation.
Gehlot reminded that during his government's tenure, a center for post-COVID rehabilitation was announced in the 2023 state budget to support research on post-COVID health complications at RUHS.
He expressed regret that the current government has "not taken concrete steps to operationalize the center".
"The government cannot dismiss this as a normal situation. The state and central governments must rise above politics and set up a high-level scientific investigation committee. People have the right to know the real causes behind these deaths so that precious lives can be saved in the future," Gehlot said.
Jully highlighted on Wednesday that "the number of deaths following vaccination has reportedly increased", noting that even small children are collapsing during exams. While the government responded that such deaths are normal, Jully insisted that the Minister should provide a proper explanation.
He called for a scientific investigation to determine the cause of these deaths, and launched a scathing attack on the government’s functioning.
Jully alleged that the administration is avoiding accountability, concealing facts, and misleading the people, and stated that despite a tenure of over two years, the government has promoted discrepancies instead of implementing reforms.
