It is difficult to ascertain without a probe if there were any oxygenrelated deaths during the second Covid-19 wave, Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia has told Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in a written communication.

Addressing a news conference on Thursday, Sisodia said the Delhi government had in June formed a committee to probe the deaths and prepare a report so that the affected families could be given a compen¬sation of Rs 5 lakh each.

“But through the LG (Delhi’s lieutenant governor), the Centre did not allow that committee to be formed. We are sending the file again to the Delhi LG for approval. We will carry out the probe with full responsibility and even punish the guilty,” he said.

Delhi has recorded over 25,000 fatalities because of the infection, he said, adding it will have to be probed how many of these were linked to the oxygen crisis during April and May.

“We cannot say that there was no oxygen crisis. The families of patients, hospitals were sending out SOS messages for help at that time,” he said.

The Delhi government had in June formed a fourmember expert committee to look into the deaths because of the shortage of oxygen during the second wave of the pandemic. Sisodia had subsequently said the Centre denied approval to the committee.

Last month, Opposition parties had hit out at the government for informing Parliament that no deaths because of oxygen shortage were reported by states and Union Territories during the second wave.

On Tuesday, however, a top official said only one state had till now reported “suspected” death due to oxygen shortage during the second wave after the Centre sought data from them on such fatalities following raising of the issue in Parliament.