Jailed Bhim Army chief needs urgent medical care, officials deny

mangaloretoday.com/yahoo

New Delhi, Jan 05, 2020: The Bhim Army claimed on Saturday that its jailed chief Chandrashekhar Azad was unwell and needed immediate medical care.

A senior jail official, however, denied the claim, saying Mr Azad was "absolutely fine" and no such issue had come to their notice during routine medical check-ups by the official jail doctor.

Chandrashekhar Azad’s personal doctor Harjeet Singh Bhatti claimed that the Bhim Army chief suffers from a disease which requires biweekly phlebotomy, a "procedure to remove extra red blood cells from the blood to treat certain blood disorders".

Bhim Army spokesperson Kush Ambedkarwadi, who had met the jailed chief on Friday, said Azad has been undergoing treatment for the disease for the past one-and-a-half years and that he had told authorities at the Tihar Jail, where he is currently lodged, about it.

The last session of phlebotomy was scheduled a week ago. Chandrashekhar Azad has been complaining of headache, dizziness, pain in abdomen, the doctor claimed.

"If Azad doesn’’t get immediate medical care, his blood might get thicker and he may suffer a cardiac arrest. The jail authorities are not allowing him to visit AIIMS," he said.

"This is inhuman and clear violation of human rights. I request Delhi Police and (Home Minister) Amit Shah to get him admitted to AIIMS," he posted on Twitter.

The jail authorities, however, said Mr Azad was "absolutely fine" and medical assistance will be provided to him if the need arises.

The Delhi Police arrested Chandrashekhar Azad on December 21, a day after his outfit organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the new citizenship law without permission from police.

Move Jailed Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad To AIIMS: Priyanka Gandhi

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today demanded that Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad be shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after his health deteriorated in jail. Chandrashekhar Azad was sent to Delhi’s Tihar Jail after he led a protest against the Citizenship Act.

Attacking the government, Ms Gandhi-Vadra said its policy of "oppressing" dissent has reached a point of "cowardice".

"The government’s policy of oppressing all expressions of dissent and protest has reached the point of cowardice. The lack of basic humanity in their actions is shameful. There are absolutely no grounds to keep Chandrashekhar in jail, let alone to deny him medical treatment if he is unwell. He should be sent to AIIMS to be treated immediately," Ms Gandhi-Vadra tweeted.