Mumbai: Tourists to Jammu and Kashmir get negative antigen reports despite never undergoing tests

Nilesh Vyas and Minal Vyas in the garden; (right) the report that Nilesh Vyas received

Two city couples, who had visited Jammu and Kashmir last month, were shocked to receive Covid antigen test reports, allegedly done at a kiosk in front of a botanical garden in Jammu and Kashmir, which stated they were negative. However, not only did they not get tested while they were entering the garden, the date mentioned in the report is also a recent one, when both the couples were actually in Mumbai.

This brings to the fore doubts on the authenticity of the tests conducted, allegedly under the banner of the Srinagar civic body. This comes at a time when the state recorded its highest number of visitors in November in the past seven years at 1.27 lakh. Both the couples - Kandivli-based Nilesh and Minal Vyas and Malad-based Dwarkesh and Sejal Pandya - told mid-day they had taken both the doses.

Nilesh told mid-day, "On November 24, I visited the botanical garden with my wife. The people present at the civic body's kiosk asked us to get tested but we refused as we have taken both doses. Later, they asked us to write our names and mobile numbers in a book and allowed us to enter. However, on December 9 we both received messages that we allegedly underwent tests in Srinagar on that very day and that we were negative." He added, "How is this possible when we were in Mumbai?"

The other couple also received their report on the same day. Dwarkesh said, "On November 24, when we visited the botanical garden, we were also asked to conduct antigen tests but we refused. When I inquired with them about the rules, they made us wait and then called an alleged health worker who said it was mandatory for visitors to get the test done. However, they jotted down our names and contact numbers and eventually allowed us to enter without the test."

He added, "On December 9, we received the message allegedly via the Maharashtra government which stated that we were in J&K and conducted the tests and were found negative. I think it is a big scam for misusing public money. We will write a letter and send the reports to the state government, asking them to look into this."

Speaking to mid-day, Srinagar Deputy Mayor Parvaiz Ahmad Qadri said, "It may be a computer fault or errors due to which they received the antigen test reports. We are properly conducting tests at Srinagar. We will check their reports and conduct an inquiry into this matter."