Elgar Parishad case accused alleges medical negligence in Taloja jail

Activist Ramesh Gaichor highlights three deaths in letter to SHRC, alleges “callous and inhumane attitude” towards health of all inmates

MUMBAI: Activist Ramesh Gaichor, currently lodged in Taloja jail in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, has alleged in a letter to the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) that medical negligence has resulted in the death of three jailed inmates in the last few months.

Pune, India - September 08, 2020: The NIA arrested three Kabir Kala Manch members - Sagar Gorkhe (32 - right), Ramesh Gaichor (36 - left), and Jyoti Jagtap (33) - in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case. The men were remanded to four days in police custody by a local court in Mumbai on Tuesday. HT PHOTO

In his letter, dated December 14, 2024, Gaichor has urged the SHRC to conduct a detailed inquiry into the death of one of the three inmates, and issue the necessary directives to ensure that adequate medical care is provided to all prisoners in Taloja Jail.

The deceased inmate referenced by Gaichor was Ajit Keru Abhang, 55, lodged in the prison for five years. Abhang, who suffered a fatal heart attack on December 11, did not receive proper medical care from the Chief Medical Officer, alleged Gaichor. This was not an isolated incident, he said, pointing to the deaths of Ramesh Dadaram Sainkhe, 37, and Irfan Nikhar Sheikh, 24.

“It seems that there is a pattern of indifference and disregard for the health of prisoners in Taloja Jail. The medical department within the jail appears to have a callous and inhumane attitude towards the health of inmates,” Gaichor said in the letter.

Abhang was awaiting a judgement in his case, being tried in the Belapur Sessions Court. He had complained of a stomach ache on the night of December 7, recounted Gaichor. The next morning, he was taken to the jail hospital and administered only a pain-killer injection. The pain resurfaced on December 9 and was so severe that Abhang couldn’t even walk, said the letter.

“He was in severe pain, sweating profusely, and experiencing shortness of breath. He repeatedly requested to be transferred to an outside hospital, but his pleas were ignored,” alleged Gaichor, accusing the jail authorities of neglecting his condition.

Abhang’s conditioned worsened and he died in the early hours of December 11, said the activist. “To cover up their negligence, the jail authorities claimed Abhang was serious and took him – his body – to a civic hospital in Vashi, where he was declared brought dead,” wrote Gaichor in his letter.

Holding the chief medical officer responsible for Abhang’s death, Gaichor added, “It is a matter of great injustice and inhumanity that a person who had been imprisoned for 5 years and was on the verge of being acquitted, was subjected to such neglect and apathy by the jail authorities,” he alleged.

Citing another case of alleged negligence, Gaichor stated in his letter that Ramesh Sainkhe suffered a fatal heart attack in Taloja jail, claiming that “for 15-20 days, this young man had been complaining of chest pain and requesting to be transferred to an outside hospital for treatment but wasn’t”. The third person, Irfan Sheikh, also died inside the prison in September 2024, said Gaichor, urging the commission to take note of these repeated incidents.

According to the activist, there is a deliberate pattern of indifference and disregard for the health of prisoners in Taloja jail. According to Section 11 of the Maharashtra Prisons (Prison Hospital) Rules, 1970, “Urgent cases requiring immediate surgical or other treatment which cannot be given in the prison hospital shall be transferred at once to the local Civil Hospital and report made to the Regional Deputy Inspector General.”

Gaichor has urged the SHRC to “conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Ajit Keru Abhang and the overall medical care provided to prisoners in Taloja Jail”. He has also sought strict action against the Chief Medical Officer and jail superintendent for their alleged negligence and apathy, and adequate compensation for the family of the deceased.

Pramod Wagh, superintendent of Taloja jail, refuted the allegations of medical negligence. “He (Ajit Keru Abhang) was receiving treatment in our prison hospital. He passed away due to a heart attack,” said Wagh. “The allegations of medical negligence are not true, and we have given a detailed report to the commission as well,” Wagh added.

Gaichor is one of the many anti-caste activists and scholars who were arrested in connection with violence that broke out at a conclave in Bhima Koregaon village in Pune on New Year’s Eve in 2017. Called the Elgar Parishad, the event was held at Pune’s Shaniwarwada to mark the 200th anniversary of the Bhima Koregaon battle. Violence broke out on January 1, 2018, with the police alleging that the conclave had been organised by Maoist groups. One person died in the violence and several were injured.

The National Investigative Agency (NIA), which is investigating the case, has accused Gaichor of “propagating Naxal activities and Maoist ideology”.