Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi founder and Chidambaram MP, Thol. Thirumavalavan, on Saturday wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray urging him to provide medical treatment for revolutionary poet, Varavara Rao, who is 81 and lodged in Taloja jail in the Bhima-Koregaon case. DMK MPs Kanimozhi, Thamizhachi Thangapandian, Tiruchi Siva, CPI (M) MPs Su. Venkatesan and P.R. Natarajan, CPI MP K. Subbarayan and VCK MP D. Ravikumar were among those who endorsed the letter.

Citing concerns over the spread of COVID-19 in jails, Mr. Thirumavalavan said, “We are seeing reports everyday of massive surge of COVID-19 in jails (It has been reported that four deaths have already occurred in prisons in Maharashtra, all of which were later found to be COVID-19 positive). It has also come to our notice through the family members of Varavara Rao that the aged poet is vomiting several times daily and is not keeping well.”

He said that the poet’s family had reported that his voice was extremely feeble when he spoke to them on a call made after a month. “As he is under such dire health, we urge you to transfer him to a hospital. The present level of care provided in jail is not acceptable,” he said.

The VCK leader also urged Mr. Thackeray to provide medical attention to differently-abled, wheel-chair bound Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, who is in jail.