Former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba called off his hunger strike on Tuesday after jail authorities in Nagpur agreed to some of his demands. Saibaba’s wife Vasantha Kumari told Scroll.in that the professor’s health condition had turned dire following which the authorities agreed to fulfill his demands.
He was taken to the prison health centre after he called off the hunger strike.
Saibaba was sentenced to life in prison for having Maoist links in March 2017 and has been lodged in the Nagpur Central Jail since then. The 55-year-old is wheelchair-bound as he suffers from ailments due to which 90% of his body is disabled.
Saibaba went on a hunger strike on May 21 in a protest against the jail authority’s decision to install a close-circuit television camera in front of his cell. The camera recorded all his activities, including him using the toilet and bathroom, according to a committee that has been seeking his release.
Saibaba’s lawyer had also alleged that jail authorities had denied him permission to use a plastic water bottle brought from outside, although they had approved the request earlier. The authorities on Tuesday allowed him to keep the water bottle, after which he ended the hunger strike, The Times of India reported.
The committee seeking his release said that jail authorities also agreed to change the direction of the CCTV camera.
Saibaba also demanded that he be granted parole so that he could get medical treatment for his health problems. He also sought to be shifted from the high-security “anda cell”, saying that he was suffering due to heat and cold waves. He added that he was unable to move on his wheelchair as the cell was very small.
The committee seeking Saibaba’s release said that the former professor and his family members had written to jail authorities and the Maharashtra home minister seeking his transfer from the Nagpur jail to the Cherlapally Central Prison in Hyderabad.
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