Social activist Anna Hazare's health kept deteriorating by late night on Tuesday even as Team Anna, doctors and associates tried to convince him to break his fast.
“Anna has refused to break his fast. He has been given an injection. We will see how he feels by morning,” Dr. Aniruddha Dharmadhikari told media persons at the MMRDA [Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority] ground. Anna also refused to be moved out of the protest venue.
“He has refused to be taken to hospital. He has said he will stay at the MMRDA ground,” Mayank Gandhi, co-ordinator of India Against Corruption, said. Team Anna is likely to take a decision about moving Anna to hospital by Wednesday morning, volunteers of the protest said. “It will depend on whether the fever subsides through the night,” Dr. Dharmadhikari said.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan called on Anna.
“After hearing the media reports about Anna's deteriorating health, the Chief Minister called on him. He said that if Anna is unhappy about the Lokpal Bill, he can decide the future course of action, but presently it is important to take care of his health... Anna has assured him to consider his suggestion seriously,” a press release from the Chief Minister's Office said.
Anna has been suffering from viral infection and fever since the past few days. The doctors had advised him against the fast.
Till Tuesday evening, Anna had slight fever but by late night, he was running a temperature of 102 F and the blood pressure shot up. He refused to listen to continuous pleas from his associates for calling off the fast.
Associates Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, and Justice (retired) Santosh Hegde were among the many others who tried to convince him in vain.
“He is suffering from dry cough, weakness, high BP. It is not right to go on with the fast in such a condition. There may be a need to hospitalise him. The doctors have administered him an injection. A team of doctors from J J Hospital is continuously monitoring his health every half an hour,” Dr. Dharmadhikari said.
He said there may be a need to conduct an X-ray test on him and since J J Hospital does not have a portable X-ray machine, they may request some other hospital to send it.
Anna refused to take medicine or food. He also refused to take drip saline, Priyadarshini Ovhal of India Against Corruption said.
“We are keeping cloth strips dipped in cold water on his forehead. He is taking rest now. We hope that the fever will subside. But he will not break his fast. We cannot make him break it,” Dr. Dharmadhikari said.
