Gonsalves’s dengue shines light on Taloja’s mosquito infestation

Incidentally, Gonsalves’s case brings to the fore the larger issue of civic body’s apathy towards keeping the suburb, particularly the area around the jail, sanitised and free of mosquito breeding spots

While Vernon Gonsalves, 65, an accused in Elgar Parishad –Bhima Koregaon violence case, still remains on oxygen support at JJ Hospital where he is being treated for dengue, the prosecution on Monday claimed before the special NIA court that he was given “proper treatment” in Taloja Jail, in Navi Mumbai.

Authorities claimed that thereafter every day a medical professional from the jail hospital visited Gonsalves’s barrack and examined him, administering necessary medications (HT PHOTO)

Incidentally, Gonsalves’s case brings to the fore the larger issue of civic body’s apathy towards keeping the suburb, particularly the area around the jail, sanitised and free of mosquito breeding spots.

Taloja prison on Monday submitted its reply to Gonsalves’s plea, alleging that jail authorities neglected his worsening health condition and denied him proper treatment on time. Special public prosecutor Prakash Shetty stated he was being treated continuously and claimed that he had refused to get admitted in the jail hospital.

Though Gonsalves claimed that he had started getting fever and showed symptoms of dengue on August 30, the jail authorities claimed that they learnt about it only on September 2, 2022, when he went to the prison hospital for a check-up.

Authorities claimed that thereafter every day a medical professional from the jail hospital visited Gonsalves’s barrack and examined him, administering necessary medications. They said, on September 5, when his fever did not subside and his rapid malaria test came negative, they called the pathology staff from the Civil Hospital in Alibag to take his blood sample. The staff came the next day for the samples.

Eventually, on September 8, he was shifted to the JJ Hospital after it was clear he had dengue.

The special court has now scheduled to hear Gonsalves’s plea for temporary bail on Tuesday. His wife Susan said that Gonsalves remains on oxygen support at the hospital, where he was sifted belatedly.

On Saturday, family members of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case issued a joint statement highlighting that the ‘political prisoners’ have been suffering in prison, asking for their release.

“If the state is incapable of guaranteeing their safety and security in prison, it would be better for courts to intervene and grant them bail, so that their precious lives are saved,” read the statement.

U T Pawar, superintendent of Taloja Jail, however, denied any such concerns in the premises. “There is no prevalence of mosquitoes in Taloja Jail. We have replied to applications requesting mosquito nets, and the court will view their merit,” Pawar said. Even though Gonsalves fell ill with fever on August 30, and his condition steadily deteriorated, he was treated with just paracetamol and antibiotics for almost a week, his lawyer had claimed. The statement released by the family at the time stated what was “even more concerning was that barely a month ago the NIA court had denied mosquito nets for the Bhima Koregaon accused in a petition filed by Gautham Navlakha.”

Interestingly, some other inmates of the same jail, like Chhota Rajan gang member D K Rao, were allowed by the court to use mosquito nets.

“In the Bhima Koregaon case, Varavara Rao, famous Telugu poet and activist, was also subject to inhuman treatment in jail where he was denied proper medical care in spite of his age and serious ailments,” said the statement, adding that, “It was only last month that he could acquire a medical bail from the Supreme Court.” Rao was granted temporary bail by the high court on February 22, last year, mainly because of the lack of proper medical facilities at the jail.

“It has barely been a year since Father Stan Swamy passed away while still a prisoner, after being denied prompt treatment following Covid-19 infection,” the statement claimed. Citing the example of Dr Hany Babu, the statement said, “Last year, Dr Hany Babu, the 12th accused in the case, contracted an extremely serious eye infection after Covid and his lawyers and family had to approach the courts to ensure proper treatment. Even today, he suffers from blurred vision due to an increase in power, for which he needs to be checked, which the prison authorities have yet allowed yet.”

The family also cited Navlakha’s example, as the statement read, “More worryingly, Navlakha who is supposed to undergo colonoscopy every two years, has not been taken for the same, though he is at high risk for stomach cancer. He was also denied his medical records in spite of a court order.”

The statement further called attention to the fact that the jail superintendent who delayed treatment to Vernon Gonsalves is the same official who was in-charge when Kanchan Nannavare, who was arrested, for alleged Maoist links, died after a brain surgery conducted on her without informing her husband, another political prisoner lodged in a Pune prison.

Vast wetlands are a foil for Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) in addressing the issue of mosquitoes in the area, especially in and around Taloja Jail premises. As Vaibhav Vidhate, assistant municipal commissioner of the civic body, said, “The land mass naturally leads to breeding of mosquitoes. It is a challenge for us to curb their growth, but efforts are in place,” said assistant municipal commissioner, Vaibhav Vidhate.

A civic official stated if written requests were made regarding the menace, the corporation can undertake fogging and other necessary measures. “The jail is an independent entity where the corporation can go only if help is sought. Otherwise, our work is restricted to its surrounding areas,” said deputy municipal commissioner Sachin Pawar, adding that no such requests were received.

Dr Suhas Pingale, head of the Indian Medical Association, Maharashtra, said, “Dengue and malaria are vector borne diseases, and a localised spurt in cases almost always indicates a mismanagement of water and sanitation. Jail authorities should have coordinated with the health department for fogging and larval control well before the wet season began.”

(With inputs by Sameera Kapoor Munshi and Prayag Arora-Desai