Himanshu Kumar, a Gandhian activist, who has been for decades fighting for the rights of the Adivasis and marginalised communities, writes about the untimely death of Prof. GN Saibaba.

Professor GN Saibaba of Delhi University came from a backward community in Hyderabad.

As a child, he was affected by polio, which left both his legs non-functional, making him 90% disabled and reliant on a wheelchair.

He spoke and wrote about the human rights violations in India’s tribal regions, where the government, using police and paramilitary forces, committed atrocities such as killing tribals and raping women to satisfy the greed of big capitalists.

For this, the government falsely implicated him, labeled him a Naxalite, and arrested him. He was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The crime, as stated by the judge, will shock you.

The judge did not claim that he had killed anyone or committed any crime.

The judge said that people like him affect investments in India, meaning capitalists suffer losses, and therefore, they were sentencing him.

He was given only life imprisonment, but the judge remarked that if it were up to him, he would have given an even harsher punishment (implying the death penalty).

He was kept in solitary confinement in prison. His wheelchair was taken away, and he had to crawl to the bathroom.

This caused his ribs to pierce into his chest muscles. His hands also began to suffer from excruciating pain, but he was denied medical treatment for a long time.

While rapists like Ram Rahim and Asaram were granted parole, Professor GN Saibaba was denied even a single day of parole despite multiple applications.

The Maharashtra High Court ordered his release, but the government did not let him walk out of prison.

The judge who ordered his release resigned in protest, but the government remained indifferent.

He was released again by the court, and the government reluctantly let him go.

He lost his job, and being ill, he needed a car to go to the hospital, especially to transport his wheelchair, but he no longer had a vehicle.

He fell into severe financial distress.

He returned from Delhi to Hyderabad, his birthplace, hoping to receive help from family and relatives for his treatment.

Yesterday, he passed away in a hospital.

This death is a state-sponsored murder.

Falsely implicating an educated citizen who raised his voice for the human rights of tribals, not releasing him despite court orders, sentencing him for the benefit of capitalists, and deliberately bringing him to the brink of death in prison—all of this amounts to murder.

Professor GN Saibaba’s case exposes the current criminal collaboration between the government and constitutional institutions.

This situation should concern all of us citizens, as we do not want a democracy that kills its innocent citizens in this manner.