He was arrested on July 28 last year by NIA in the Bhima Koregaon case
Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Hany Babu, an undertrial prisoner in the Bhima Koregaon case, who has been in custody since July 2020 without trial has now been diagnosed as COVID Positive.
He is already suffering from a serious eye infection for which, his family alleges, he is not getting proper treatment.
The 55-year-old Hany Babu is a Delhi University professor. He was arrested on July 28 last year by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and has since been in Taloja central prison. The prison, meant to accommodate 2,124 prisoners, is overcrowded and houses over 3,500 (at 166% occupancy) prisoners, The Wire has said in a report.
Babu had developed an acute eye infection in Taloja Jail. He has little or no vision in his left eye due to the swelling, which has spread to the cheek, ear and forehead compromising other vital organs as well, and posing a significant risk to his life if it spreads to the brain, says his wife Jenny Rowena.
Babu was first taken to JJ hospital for his eye treatment after his wife and two brothers alleged in a letter that he was denied treatment for his eye infection.
JJ hospital dean Dr Ranjit Mankeshwar confirmed to The Wire that Babu was hospitalised in the early hours of May 13, following an eye infection. A swab test for COVID-19 was also conducted and his results returned positive.
That Babu has been found to have contacted coronavirus was revealed to his mother when she visited her at the hospitl. “We are yet to receive any official information either from the prison or from the NIA. Despite requests we have not received any information regarding his CT count, his vital statistics and the results of any tests conducted,” Rowena, his wife, demanded.
“My family and I are desperate that Hany should receive the best possible treatment. We do not want to leave him at the mercy of a system that treats undertrial prisoners with such cruel indignity and does not believe that it owes us the courtesy of even informing us of Hany’s condition and treatment or that Hany and his family have a right to know and participate in his treatment, she said in a statement.
Rowena appeal to the Maharashtra government to immediately shift Hany to a multi-speciality hospital with the required expertise and facilities, such that Hany can get the best possible treatment in his present condition. “I also request that we be given a complete copy of Hany’s medical documents and be updated in real time on a contemporaneous basis on every development regarding Hany’s health so that we can take all necessary decisions in order protect his life and ensure his safety and well-being,” she said.
