UN wants India to release Saibaba who is serving life-term for Maoist links

In India, many people are arrested in different crimes and some are punished; But why United Nations is concerned only about the Naxalites ? Why were United Nations not concerned when Hindu leaders like Sadhvi Pragya Singh were arrested ? – Hindujagruti.org, Editor

United Nations rights experts are urging India to release the jailed Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba, whose health is rapidly deteriorating

“We are concerned about reports that Dr. Saibaba is suffering from more than 15 different health problems, some of which have potentially fatal consequences,” the experts said in a joint statement released in Geneva.

Who is GN Saibaba?

GN Saibaba, a professor of English at Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College, was arrested by Maharashtra Police in 2014 and later given life sentence for his links with the Maoists.

The wheelchair-bound Delhi University professor GN Saibaba arrested on the charges of being a member CPI-Maoist, which has been banned by the government.

However, he has been in and out of the jail in between.

He was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in 2016 and Justice JS Khehar pulled up the counsel of the Maharashtra government for opposing the court’s decision.

“You have been extremely unfair to the accused. If material witnesses have been examined, then why do you want him in jail. You are unnecessarily harassing the petitioner,” Justice JS Khehar said.

Maharashtra’s Gadchiroli district police had accused Saibaba of acting as an overground worker for the banned outfit. Police claimed the professor runs an organisation which was acting as a front for CPI-Maoist.

The academic has denied this charge.

UN’s appeal to India 

UN rights experts in their statement have reminded India that “any denial of reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities in detention is not only discriminatory but may well amount to ill-treatment or even torture”.

Saibaba is reportedly being held in solitary confinement and the experts have objected to it. “Solitary confinement should be prohibited when the conditions of prisoners with disabilities would be made worse by this measure,” the experts stressed.

According to the UN statement, Saibaba was sentenced to life imprisonment for “waging war against the state” however, the judgment “allegedly failed to point out a single instance in which Dr. Saibaba was a conspirator to commit violence or provide logistical support to violent acts.”

India is yet to respond to this appeal.

Source : India Today