Prof. G.N. Saibaba passes away in Hyderabad

Prof. Saibaba, who was wheelchair-bound, was arrested on May 19, 2014 in a case pertaining to ties with Maoist organisations. He had been lodged in the Nagpur Central Jail till his release in March 2024.

Former Delhi University professor Prof. Gokarakonda Naga Saibaba died at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Science in Hyderabad on October 12, 2024. He was 57.

He was declared dead by the doctors at 8.36 p.m. on Saturday (October 12, 2024). He is survived by wife Vasantha Kumari and daughter Manjeera.

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He was admitted into the ICU on Friday (October 11, 2024) evening due to post-operative complications after a gall-bladder surgery a week ago, informed a family friend.

Dr. N. Bheerappa, Director of NIMS Hyderabad, stated that the patient was admitted to the hospital 20 days ago for a gallbladder infection, which was treated surgically. While he recovered well for two weeks, he had several underlying conditions, including heart issues and blood clots. “One of these clots may have dislodged, likely leading to his death,” Dr. Bheerappa explained.

Prof. Saibaba, was arrested from Delhi in 2014 for having alleged Maoist links and subsequently convicted by a Maharashtra sessions court in 2017. Later, in October 2022, the Bombay High Court ordered his release saying legal processes were not followed during the trial. But within 24 hours, the Supreme Court overturned the order stating that the charges against Saibaba and other accused were ‘very serious’ and needed a new hearing.

EDITORIAL | Free of guilt: On the exoneration of former Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba and five others 

Born in Amalapuram in present-day Andhra Pradesh, Prof. Saibaba had post-polio paralysis since he was five and acquired a wheelchair only after moving to Delhi in 2003 to teach at Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College. He taught English Literature in the college between 2003 till he was jailed in 2014. He led All India People’s Resistance Forum that raised voice against the paramilitary action in tribal regions of central India called Operation Green Hunt.

On March 5, 2024, he was acquitted by the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. Mr. Saibaba was released from Nagpur Central Jail on March 7, 2024. He had spent a total of 3,592 days in prison, most of them in the isolation ‘anda cell’ in Nagpur Central Jail. He lived only for 219 days out of prison.

Published - October 12, 2024 10:10 pm IST