Amid outcry and pressure from human rights organisations, intellectuals and some politicians, noted revolutionary poet Varavara Rao was taken to JJ hospital for ‘tests’, hospital authorities said.
Dr Ranjeet Mankeshwar, Dean, JJ hospital said he has been brought to the hospital for medical fitness and doctors are checking his various health parameters.
Rao’s youngest daughter Pavana however said the family had no official information from either the Taloja jail or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) - the investigating agency in the case, about the matter.
The family heard from well-wishers that Rao had apparently been in the hospital since afternoon of Monday until late night, when this paper was going to the press.
The family had on Sunday held on online press meet in which it said that the octogenarian’s health was worsening in jail and he was ‘hallucinating’ and ‘totally disoriented’ on a routine phone call they had with him on Saturday. Rao’s co-accused in the case, Vernon Gonalves had informed them on the same call that he was unable to take care of his basic ablutions such as brushing his teeth or taking bath and needed assistance in these.
The family had then appealed for him to be immediately shifted to hospital for better care as they feared his electrolyte balance was being disturbed which could cause brain damage - a cause for his delirium, they suspected.
An urgent writ petition was also filed in the Bombay HC on Monday by their advocate R. Sathyanarayan seeking directions to the prison authorities to submit a detailed report along with medical papers of the treatment and course of action followed by them after Rao was discharged in early June after he fell unconscious in jail and was admitted in JJ hospital.
