The jail authorities say after getting advice from jail hospital doctor, they would shift Atiq-ur-Rehman to an appropriate hospital in two days. However, they are silent on his fast deteriorating health condition needing immediate medical attention.
Ahmed Kasim | Clarion India
NEW DELHI — Atiq-ur-Rehman, the student leader who was arrested along with Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan in October 2020 and was under treatment at a hospital in Lucknow since August 29 after his health deteriorated, was arbitrarily sent back to Lucknow jail despite having critical health issues.
His lawyer Saifan Shaikh said the condition of the 28-year-old jail inmate is still serious, yet he is being shifted to jail from the hospital.
Last evening after diagnosis, cardiac specialists at the Lucknow hospital had denied that the patient has any heart problems. However, they said, “He is suffering from some neurological issues, but we don’t have proper facility to treat him here. Moreover, no bed is available for him in the existing neuro ward. Hence, we discharged him.”
Jail authorities on the other hand say they will shift him to an appropriate hospital in two days after getting an advice from the jail hospital doctor. But they are silent on the immediate medical attention the patient needs in view of his fast deteriorating condition.
Speaking to Clarion India, his lawyer said, “I don’t know why the jail administration is doing this. One part of his body is not working, he needs immediate medical treatment. The jail authorities say after getting advice from jail hospital doctor, they would shift him to an appropriate hospital in two days. King George’s Medical University (KGMU) Hospital is a multispecialty hospital, why they are not admitting him to the neuro department of the health facility here?”
He informed that the family is going to move the Lucknow High Court with a plea to take cognizance of the matter.
Rehman’s wife, Sanjeeda, said they want his release at any cost. She said, “He cannot even get up to drink water on his own. At this stage, sending him to jail will further push him into worse health condition.”
She further said, “Atiq is unable even to recognise anyone, I want my voice to reach the people, the court should hear my voice, they should release him. We will get him better treatment ourselves.”
Protests at Jantar Mantar
Meanwhile, protests were held at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi on Monday, demanding immediate release of Atiq-ur-Rehman. Students protesting against his prolonged incarceration were demanding that keeping in mind the seriousness of Rehman’s health, he should be immediately released.
Atiq, a resident of Muzaffarpur district and a research scholar in library sciences at Choudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut, accompanied Kappan, Masood Ahmed, a master’s student at Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia and CFI office-bearer and taxi driver Muhammad Alam, on their way to Hathras where a Dalit woman was raped and murdered by four upper-caste men.
UP Police arrested all of them using sections 151, 101, and 116 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The FIR filed against them on 5 October 2020, a day after their arrest, invoked eight sections of five laws, including the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) 1967.
The sections invoked against them were 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between groups) and 295A (outraging religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code 1860; sections 65 (tampering with computer source documents), 72 (the penalty for breach of confidentiality and privacy) and 76 (confiscation) of the Information Technology Act 2008, and sections 14 (offences to be cognizable) and 17 (punishment for raising funds for the terrorist act) of the UAPA.
Photo: Atiq-ur-Rehman a hospital bed.
