Elgar Parishad case: Activists write to Uddhav Thackeray seeking medical attention for Varavara Rao

Revolutionary poet and activist Varavara Rao (Image: PTI)

Jailed for over 22 months, 80-year old activist poet Varavara Rao has been reported having deteriorating mental and physical health, according to his family members. Varavara Rao is currently lodged in Navi Mumbai's Tailoja Jail, over his involvement in the Elgar Parishad case.

Many prominent people have written Maharastra CM appealing for better treatment for the poet, including most recently Kerala Rajya Sabha representative from the Communist Party of India (CPI), Binoy Viswam.

Notably, Romila Thapar and four other eminent persons have appealed to Maharastra government urging for immediate medical care, The Hindu reported. 

"We were very much disturbed as during his routine calls (to family members) allowed by police, his voice was weak, he was incoherent, mumbling and unable to speak," said Mrs. Rao in an online press conference on 12th July.

His wife and daughters said that the 80-year-old human rights activist had been fumbling, hallucinating, and talking about memories of performing the last rights of his father- an incident that happened almost 70 years ago.

The family also made an emotional appeal, urging to not kill Varavara Rao in jail in the press conference on July 12th.
In a press note titled: "Don't kill Varavara Rao", which was released soon after the online conference, the family appealed that Rao poses no flight risk and has voluntarily submitted to all investigations for the last 22 months, "There is no reason in law or conscience to hold him in circumstances that increase the risk to his fragile health. We had been arguing that the investigation should be impartial, speedy, and supervised by the judiciary. We have now reached a stage where his life is at stake,” said the Rao family.

Speaking to Moneycontrol, Viswam commented on what drove him to write the letter to the CM dated on July 13, "The urgent matter is that this man should be taken care of, otherwise that man (Varavara Rao), who stood for a cause throughout his life will die in the jail," adding that he doesn't want to see this happening in our country.