In September 2013 when a 60-member police team first knocked on the doors of G.N. Saibaba, the professor from Delhi University who was recently convicted for his “Maoist links”, they were armed with search warrant from Aheri, Maharashtra. And the reason cited was that Dr.Saibaba was suspected to have committed a theft in Aheri! The joint team of Maharashtra and Delhi police confiscated his laptop, CDs, pen drives, and hard disks, but conducted no ‘panchnama’ to document and seal them under supervision.
Instead, they got the list signed by a barber at the end of the street. The barber, whose literacy was limited to scribbling his signature, was among 22 other witnesses, all policemen, home-guards and officials, that Gadchiroli Sessions Court relied on. The charge sheet did not mention any theft, but alleged his links with the banned CPI(Maoist) party.
A.S. Vasantha Kumari, the professor’s wife, related these happenings at a public meeting organised by the Revolutionary Democratic Forum (RDF) jointly with the Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations here on Monday. The professor with only 10 per cent mobility, was kept incarcerated in the ‘Anda cell’ of Nagpur Central Prison for close to two years, which had resulted in drastic deterioration of his health.
“His one hand is immobile owing to the harsh treatment by police. He had pancreatic infection owing to stones in gallbladder, and doctors advised gallbladder removal within two weeks. He has gastro-enteritis issues, severe back pain, and thickened heart walls due to prolonged denial of BP medicines,” Ms. Vasantha Kumari said on the sidelines of the meeting.
She has approached the High Court Bench at Nagpur with an appeal and bail petition. If denied bail, the court will be petitioned for shifting him to Tihar jail in Dehi or Cherlapally prison so that he could avail treatment. As of now, Dr.Saibaba is still in the ‘Anda Cell’, with permission for highly restricted mulaqats . Speaking elaborately on Dr. Saibaba’s life, Ms. Vasantha Kumari said they both first met at 15, at a tutorial in Amalapuram. What began as Maths lessons by her to him, led to sharing of literary interests and further on to lifelong commitment.
“He used to wear footwear on both hands, and come crawling to the classes. He did not have a wheel chair till three years after he joined the Delhi University,” she recalled.
Being witness to the atrocities on Dalit women at Amalarpuram that never saw the light of the day, he always pined for an equal society and fought all instances of discrimination, she said.
Though ignited by the Mandal agitations, the couple did not know much about activism or public movements till Dr. Saibaba joined the University of Hyderabad for his MA.
“Sai had a lurking feeling of inferiority owing to his disability, which he got rid of thanks to his participation in the movements,” she said.
