Uttarakhand: BJP MLA's son gets vaccine jab ahead of 18+ age group drive, stirs controversy

Dehradun, May 09: A controversy has erupted in Uttarakhand over a BJP MLA's 25-year-old son getting the anti-coronavirus vaccine jab despite the fact that inoculation of people in his age group is yet to begin in the state. The vaccination process for people aged 18-44 years begins officially in Uttarakhand on Monday. However, BJP MLA from Khanpur Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion's son Divya Pratap Singh Champion got the jab on May 5.

The controversy broke out when pictures of Divya Pratap Singh getting the vaccine shot went viral on social media on Saturday. Doon hospital staff requesting anonymity said the MLA, along with his wife and son, arrived at the medical superintendent's residence on May 5 and allegedly pressured the doctors to administer the vaccine dose to his son.

When contacted, the MLA said his son got the vaccine shot as he is a frontline worker actively involved in stopping the spread of the virus. Further, the MLA's son got a shot of Covaxin at a time when most people in the state are being administered Covishield vaccine.

Covaxin is available only at a select few centres in the state. Kunwar Pranav Singh Champion is not new to controversies. He was in the news a few years ago when a video clip in which he was seen dancing to a popular Bollywood number with guns in his hands went viral.