Prof. GN Saibaba called off his hunger strike after the DIG (Prisons) visited him in the Nagpur Central Jail and accepted all his demands.
On October 16, 90% physically disabled and wheelchair-bound Saibaba announced that he will be going on hunger strike from October 21 as he has not been provided with clothes, medicines and books for a month.
On Thursday, he called his wife Vasantha Kumari and said the DIG (Prisons) had visited him on October 20 and accepted all his demands. Prof. Saibaba told her that the DIG had instructed the prison officers to resolve all the demands immediately and handover all the confiscated and withheld letters written to him by his wife, family members and advocates.
The Committee for the Defense and Release of Dr. Saibaba released a press statement quoting the DIG Prisons as saying, “The jail authorities shall not stop the medicines given by his family members and advocates and the medicines will be given to him immediately. The complaint letter documenting his harassment and lack of basic rights in the prison since the last few months addressed to the DIG (Prisons) Pune shall be delivered immediately. Previously the jail authorities were not sending this letter and illegally holding it. All the paper clippings sent to him by his family members through post shall be given to him immediately and such paper cuttings shall not be confiscated in future. He shall be provided with books sent by the family members.”
However, DIG Ramesh Kamble told The Hindu, “I visited Saibaba in his cell. He did not have any complaints nor did he mention anything about going on hunger strike. There has been some misunderstanding.”
Ms. Kumari told The Hindu, “Saibaba informed me about the visit by the DIG Prisons on October 20 because of which Sai did not go on hunger strike but none of the demands have been met yet and we wait in hope.”