New Delhi, June 10: A top professor at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU), which has emerged at the forefront of collating worldwide data on coronavirus, critiqued the COVID-19 numbers presented by India. In a scathing criticism of the data submitted by New Delhi on day-to-day basis, Professor Steve Hanke said the numbers are highly suspicious. Modi Government Criticised Over Lower Covid-19 Testing in India, Warns of Italy-Like Situation.

In a graph shared on social media, Prof Hanke listed India among the list of countries that are categorised as "rotten apples" when it comes to sharing of COVID-19 data. The Indian government is "reporting highly suspect data", the illustration read.

"These countries are the "rotten apples" of coronavirus data. These countries either do not report covid data or are reporting highly suspicious data (sic)," said Prof Hanke, who is the applied economist at JHU.

Full List of Countries Categorised as Rotten Apples

Among other countries included in the "rotten apples" list are Venezuela, Egypt, Syria, Yemen, Turkey, China and Vietnam. Notably, India and Turkey are the only two democracies included in the list by Johns Hopkins University.

Prof Hanke has remained critical of India's handling of coronavirus. In a statement issued in April, he had condemned the Narendra Modi-led government for allegedly conducting insufficient number of tests.

The testing rate, in the chart shared by him on April 9, showed India testing a lesser number of people per million population as compared to neighbouring Pakistan. If the condition prevails, then India may face a catastrophe similar to Italy, he had warned.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 10, 2020 10:01 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).