Kanchan Nanaware, an alleged Maoist operative who was arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) in 2014, died in a state-run hospital here in Maharashtra on Sunday following a prolonged illness, a senior official of the Yerwada Central Jail said.
Nanaware (37) was the wife of Maoist operative Arun Bhelke who is currently lodged in the Yerwada Jail near here.
"Nanaware was suffering from some heart ailment for a long time and lately she had undergone surgery after a brain tumour was diagnosed. Today, she died in the Sassoon General Hospital," said U T Pawar, Superintendent, Yerawada Central Jail.
Nanaware was continuously under treatment at the state-run hospital.
The Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad had arrested Nanaware and her husband in 2014 alleging that they were members of the 'Golden Corridor Committee' of Maoists and trying to recruit cadres from urban areas.
Advocate Rohan Nahar, who was representing Nanaware in courts, told PTI that she was operated without the consent of her husband.
"We made an application on behalf her husband who is accused in the case to visit her in the hospital, which was granted by the court, however, before we could meet her she died," he said.
Nahar said Nanaware's bail plea was rejected by the sessions court in Pune in 2020, and her bail application was pending before the Bombay High Court.
"Both the applications were made on medical grounds.
We will make an application tomorrow to hand over Nanaware's body to her relatives," he added.
Nahar alleged it was unfortunate that Nanaware neither received medical attention nor she got bail or any order in her case though she was not convicted in the case.
