Maharashtra govt tried to kill me in prison: Dr GN Saibaba

New Delhi By denying lifesaving drugs in jail the Maharashtra government tried to kill him alleged GN Saibaba a Delhi University English professor who has just been released on threemonths bail from Nagpur jailIn a twohour long conversation with IANS at his official residence in Delhi University campus a wheelchair bound Saibaba said that despite being a heart patient he wasnt given regular medication for the first seven months in prison and the authorities ignored repeated warnings by doctorsAfter 14 months in jail my left hand is completely paralysed due to muscle degeneration I have developed a severe heart condition and breathlessness he said adding that the jail authorities had even ignored an order by the National Human Rights Commission on his alarming health condition His bail plea was rejected thrice in the last 14 monthsThe Maharashtra Police arrested Saibaba for his alleged Maoist links in May 2014 While giving bail the Bombay High Court had taken suo moto cognisance of a news report on his health and a letter by activist Purnima Upadhyay The court observed that Saibabas life could be in danger if he was not released for medical treatmentDr GN Saibaba who was arrested forhis alleged Maoist links in May 2014Despite being a 90 percent physically challenged person he was kept alone in a cell which lacked a western commode and a bed Saibaba said In the first three days in the prison I was sitting in my wheelchair without food It is after the prisoners protested that I was offered help Someone needs to hold me to go down to the toilet Later I was provided with an iron bed which was not disabledfriendly at all lamented SaibabaThe highsecurity anda eggshaped cell where Saibaba was kept is meant for terrorists and MaoistsDescribing conditions at the prison Saibaba said that flagrant human rights violations happen there and its worse than the notorious Abu Ghraib prison He added that jails are safe havens for highprofile criminalsThough I was not subjected to physical torture I have seen prisoners being tortured in front of my eyes Highprofile gangsters collude with jail authorities and are given special treatment he addedFourteen months in jail taught him the value of freedom of expression Saibababa said I still feel like I am in prison My voice was muffled for 14 months I wasnt allowed to talk freely to my family Everything took a toll on my health he saidHe also missed his students and classes a lot during this time he added I used to teach the prisoners English whenever I got time he saidHe also deplored the way he was arrested without a warrant I was intercepted on my way back home from the University and my laptop was taken without being sealed in front of me he alleged He also denied the police claims that incriminating evidence was found from his laptopThey had found some press statements of Maoist leaders from my pen drive he saidSaibaba further explained that in custody he was interrogated by the Intelligence officials mainly on the activities of his group called Forum Against War on People He claimed that his campaigns thwarted the previous UPA governments attempts to take away land from the tribals He also accused the previous government of entering into MoUs with multinationals for many bigticket projects in the mineralrich Adivasi beltMy arrest shows how the government is scared about our successful campaign against land grabbers in Chhattisgarh and other tribal areas Because of our campaign many international investors withdrew their investments I feel that the NDA government is trying to revive the projects now he saidThe UPA government had launched Operation Green Hunt in 2009 to rid Maoist rebels from across the tribal belt of India I have been branded as an antinational for asking the government to implement provisions within the Indian constitution that upholds tribal rights isnt that very surprising I only want them to implement the provisions of the Fifth Schedule of our constitution said the professor who was arrested for alleged links with Maoists under Sections 13 18 20 39 of the UAPA Unlawful Activities Prevention ActThe authorities claimed that his name came up after the arrest of two alleged Maoist sympathisers in December 2013 The police allege that Saibaba was an overground worker for the CPIMaoist a charge that he denies