An undertrial in the Elgaar Parishad terrorism case who started a hunger strike against poor living conditions in Navi Mumbai’s Taloja Central Prison last weekend called off the protest on the assurance of a legislator on Friday.
Balladeer Sagar Gorkhe of the Kabir Kala Manch is among 13 people in jail over suspicion of links with Maoists. He began the strike on May 20 after jail staff allegedly seized his mosquito net. Gorkhe has demanded better medical services, action for alleged negligence of prison doctors, an end to vetting of letters and books, provision of the stipulated 135 litres of water a day, a visiting room and a proper token system for guests.
Lok Bharati MLC Kapil Harishchandra Patil visited Gorkhe on Friday and announced that the balladeer had ended the strike.
Harishchandra Patil told The Telegraph: “I spoke to (Maharashtra) home minister Dilip Walse-Patil yesterday and he assured me that improvements will be made. There is a water scarcity and the supply is now being restored. There will now be regular medical check-ups and from next week the second Covid vaccine dose will be given to prisoners. The visiting room is a facility all prisons require and I was assured that these will be set up.”
He added: “I will follow up these demands for the human rights of all prisoners and will raise the matter in the House as well. There was an (attempted suicide) incident in the jail following which the staff seized all mosquito nets. Officials assured me that mosquito repellents will be given free of cost to all prisoners.”
Minister Walse-Patil and the prison authorities are yet to respond to queries from this newspaper. A friend of Gorkhe confirmed that he had called off the strike.
The prison has been in the news both for malaria — endemic to the area — and Stan Swamy, an 84-year-old Jesuit co-accused in the case who succumbed to post-Covid complications last year. He had to move court for a straw and sipper, prompting senior Congress leader P. Chidambaram to chide the prison administration that reports to a government that his party is a part of.
Another prisoner, Gautam Navlakha, has moved court for a mosquito net that had been recommended by doctors given his previous illness.
In Nagpur prison, professor G.N. Saibaba, a paraplegic sentenced to life imprisonment for Maoist links, went on a hunger strike for four days over various demands before he had to be hospitalised as he started passing blood through stools this week.
The Maharashtra government has opposed parole to Saibaba and bail for the Elgaar accused, as has the National Investigation Agency which reports to the Centre. Independent investigators have found that fabricated evidence had been electronically implanted on devices of the Elgaar accused — a claim the NIA has rejected.