Adivasi teacher Soni Sori was admitted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences post-noon on Thursday, after being kept in a lock-up through Wednesday night.
Soni Sori's counsel Colin Gonsalves was able to meet her on Thursday afternoon at AIIMS, in accordance with the Supreme Court order. He informed The Hindu that a medical board had been constituted by the institute, as directed by the apex court.
“She has a room to herself, and the doctor attending to her told me that the institute will follow the court order in letter and spirit,” said Mr. Gonsalves.
Soni Sori informed him that her bleeding had stopped a few days ago, but there were severe blisters in her genital area, a burning sensation, stomach ache, acute weakness, and her haemoglobin count had gone down. She made a request to be shifted to the Jagdalpur jail, closer to her family, instead of Raipur, once discharged from the hospital. “She has three children and they are unable to travel 350 kilometres to see her in Raipur. Staying in Jagdalpur will make it easier for them to meet her,” said Mr. Gonsalves. Soni Sori's mother passed away recently in Jagdalpur hospital. She had fallen ill after her arrest.
We will probe: Deo
Meanwhile, the issue of AIIMS denying medical care to Soni Sori was raised in the Rajya Sabha, with Tribal Affairs Minister Kishore Chandra Deo assuring the House that the matter would be probed. “We will inquire why AIIMS didn't admit her,” Mr. Deo said.
Raising the issue during zero hour, T.N. Seema of the CPI(M) said, “When the Supreme Court has ordered to admit her, on whose authority did AIIMS turn her away on May 9?”
After being refused admission by AIIMS on Wednesday, the Chhattisgarh police personnel accompanying Soni Sori, a man and two women, requested a police station in Hauz Khas area to keep her in custody until AIIMS agreed to take her in. “We agreed to do so on the basis of the court order they were carrying,” said a Delhi police officer.
(With inputs from Sandeep Joshi and Devesh Pandey)
