Poet and activist Varavara Rao, who has been in jail, under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), since 2018 in connection with the Elgar Parishad case, tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, July 15. Doctors said that the 80-year-old man was asymptomatic, but unable to walk because of weakness.

He was shifted to J J Hospital on July 13 from Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai after he complained of dizziness. His family members also demanded better medical aid for him from the authorities concerned.

Multiple tests were conducted on him on Thursday, including one for COVID-19. After he tested positive, Rao was shifted to St George Hospital, a dedicated coronavirus facility.

‘He is showing no symptoms. His breathing is normal and all his medical parameters are stable,’ J J Hospital Dean Dr Ranjit Mankeshwar said.

St George Hospital authorities said that Rao’s oxygen saturation levels, blood pressure and fever were found normal. However, he was suffering from other health complications and was admitted in ICU.

Rao suffers from Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy, a condition in which prostate problems affect urinary functions, and has been showing symptoms of delirium and weakness, doctors said.

Tests will be conducted on Rao for neurological and lung functions.

Rao’s family members who visited him in hospital alleged that he was left unattended. ‘He was kept in the case transit ward. His clothes were soiled and he was incoherent, unable to recognise his wife or daughters,’ a relative alleged.

Making an emotional appeal saying ‘Do not kill Varavara Rao in jail’, his family had sought urgent medical help for him.

In May, Rao had been admitted to J J Hospital after he fell unconscious in the jail. The family had alleged that he had not received proper treatment. An interim bail plea filed by him sought temporary release citing the COVID-19 outbreak and his vulnerability to it. However, the plea was rejected by a special court days later.

Eleven accused are currently in jail in connection with the Elgar Parishad event organised in Pune in December 2018, nine of whom are in Taloja jail. The NIA has linked them to the violence that occured in Bhima Koregaon on January 1, 2019, alleging that they were a part of a criminal conspiracy linked to the banned CPI (Maoists).

Also Read: ‘Do Not Kill Him In Jail’: Family Alleges Negligence As Varavara Rao’s Health Deteriorates