Home Guard Jawan from UP's Kanpur Volunteers for Human Trial of Covid-19 Vaccine; Writes to PM, Yogi

A 35-year-old Home Guard jawan in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district has offered himself for human trial of COVID-19 vaccine.

Akash Gupta, a resident of Juhi locality on Kanpur-Hamirpur road and a father of two, has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to allow him to fulfil the "noble desire".

"I saw on TV how researchers are testing vaccines on animals because no human is willing to come forward and it was then that I decided to volunteer for the cause as there can be no greater service towards this country and humanity," Gupta said.

Everyday millions of people in the world are getting infected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed thousands of lives, he said.

"In this hour of crisis, if the country's scientists need specimens for human trial to develop a vaccine against coronavirus, I am ready to give my body for this experiment," said Gupta who has two sons aged 5 and 10.

"I would be grateful if the concerned authorities use my body to develop the vaccine. Even if I lose my life in this testing, it won't matter," he added.

"I am ready to sacrifice my life so that the lives of crores of people around the world can be saved," he said further. The home guards are a volunteer paramilitary force functioning as an auxiliary to the state police.