Mourning the death of former Delhi University professor and activist G.N. Saibaba, the Left parties said that he was a victim of the Narendra Modi government’s repressive policies and the Centre must be held accountable for his death.
There were a few stray voices from the Congress, but the leadership remained mum on the incident. Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. K. Stalin was among the few other Opposition leaders to express condolences.
Saibaba died on Saturday night at a State-run hospital in Hyderabad due to postoperative complications, seven months after he was acquitted in an alleged Maoist links case. His gallbladder was found to be infected.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) in a statement posted on its social media accounts said that he was a “target and victim of the Modi government’s repressive policies”. “He was denied bail for years. He was denied medical treatment urgently required for a person with such acute disabilities. His was a life dedicated to fighting for justice, facing torture with courage. The responsibility for his death lies with the Modi government,” the party said.
CPI general secretary D. Raja also held the government responsible for Saibaba’s death. “Elementary human rights were denied to him making his passing not natural but an institutional murder. Despite a decade of unlawful imprisonment, his spirit was high when he was acquitted in March this year,” he said. Mr. Raja added that a “resolute struggle” against the draconian laws such as Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), would be a “true homage” to him. CPI (Marxist–Leninist) general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharjee said that India deserves a robust rule of justice and a system that grants frequent paroles to the “Ram Rahims” of India while subjecting activists like Saibaba to years of “unlawful incarceration and endless torture” must go.
Mr. Stalin, in an emotional post on X, called Saibaba’s death a “profound loss to those who are fighting for human rights”. Mr. Stalin called him a “tireless advocate for the oppressed” who fought against injustice even at the cost of his own freedom and health. “His courage in defending civil liberties despite many challenges will be remembered as an enduring example of integrity. My sincere condolences to his family and loved ones during this difficult time,” he said in a statement.
Barring stray voices in the Congress, the top leadership remained silent on the issue. Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram said that the “system killed him” while “we were all mute”. The Kerala unit of the party posted on X: “In this country a Godman convicted for murder and rape, gets parole every other month and innocent citizens are put in jail and denied fundamental rights. Be it Fr. Stan Swamy who simply asked for a straw, or be it Saibaba our state, is there to crush the rights of the innocent people and let criminals and murderers walk away by writing an essay.”
Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj K. Jha expressing condolences, in a post on X said that Saibaba taught an entire generation that “resistance to authoritarian politics is the much needed poetry of our times.” Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose said Saibaba was a “victim of state violence.” AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that his death is a result of UAPA that allows for long periods of incarceration without any evidence.
Former Union Law Minister Ashwini Kumar said that Saibaba’s life struggle underlines the “unfairness of our criminal justice system, where the process itself is the punishment.” “The only homage to the Professor on his passing, would be to dedicate ourselves to securing purposive judicial reforms and to enact a comprehensive anti custodial torture legislation,” he added.
Published - October 13, 2024 10:45 pm IST
