The Committee for the Defence and Release of Dr. G.N. Saibaba on Wednesday said that the former professor of English at Delhi University, currently incarcerated in Nagpur Central Jail, tested COVID-19 positive on February 13 and since then, his health has deteriorated rapidly.
The committee appealed to the Maharashtra government, the Nagpur jail authorities and the National Human Rights Commission to consider steps to release him immediately in light of his precarious condition.
“Over the last two weeks, his blood pressure has dropped to dangerous levels. Besides symptoms of COVID-19, the long-term effects of the virus on a person with over 90% disability following post-polio paralysis and other co-morbidities are life-threatening,” the panel said.
They said it is crucial that Dr. Saibaba be examined for all his medical issues at the earliest and his immediate family should be allowed to access and provide assistance to him.
The committee added that the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) had issued its ‘Position Paper on COVID-19 Preparedness and Responses in Prisons’ last year and had noted the urgent need to release all prisoners vulnerable to COVID-19. “We urge the authorities to take note of the UN’s position on this,” the committee said.
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