Hunger Strike by Political Prisoners

G Jabali

Several Political prisoners of Narmada Block have been on hunger strike in Hyderabad Central Jail, Chenchalguda, since 27 August 2024, highlighting the major demand that they should not be kept in solitary confinement. For some time, the Chenchalguda prison administration has confined the Political Prisoners arrested on the alleged connections with the CPI (Maoist) Party. They are all under-trial prisoners, and the prison administration is trampling the rights of the prisoners with impunity. The Jail authorities have gone against the Prison regulations and various pronouncements of the Supreme Court–like Sunil Batravs Delhi Admn (1980). Their demand charter includes among other things unlocking during the time and right to pen, paper, notebooks, books and magazines.

The Political Prisoners have been demanding simple rights–pens, notebooks, and books and magazines to read. Indira Gandhi, then aged 13, asked her father, Nehru, about how he had spent his time there when he was in jail. Nehru wrote: “Reading, writing and reflecting”. Even during the British Raj, the colonial masters did not deny the political prisoners the right to read, write and reflect. But in independent India Chenchalguda Prison Administration wants to trample even the basic rights of the Prisoners worse than the British Raj. What a travesty of justice even after 78 times India’s Prime Ministers have hoisted National flags from the ramparts of Red Fort. Are under-trial prisoners too far from the ‘tryst with the destiny’? Are ‘acchedin’ [better day] eons away for the prisoners? Like all human beings, does the prisoner’s dignity deserve to be treated as humane and just?

The Political Prisoners are not asking for the moon. They are asking for better food. They are asking for good treatment for their health issues. They ask that all their petitions be promptly sent to the concerned authorities. They are asking for a true copy of their petitions/letters. In truth, they have been urging many simple, legal, humane demands for long. But the Chenchalguda Prison authorities are adamant about fulfilling their just demands. Now, they have gone too far. They started punishing the political prisoners by keeping them virtually in solitary confinement, locking them up for 24 hours. What does the Prison Manual say? Chapter XIX, “259 (a) Telangana Prison Rules’’ says that all the Prisoners must be kept unlocked during the daytime. So, is virtual solitary confinement legal? Absolutely illegal. Prison rules never accept such punishments for the prisoners. No person, including the prisoners, should be punished without due process of law.

The Political prisoners urged umpteen times not to lock them up for all day. As a last resort, they went on hunger strike. Prisoners have too few options to protest.

Who are these Political Prisoners? Who is on the Hunger Strike?

Amitabh Bagchi
Amitabh Bagchi, the alleged Politburo member of CPI (Maoist), is 72 and hails from Shivdas Bhaduri Street, Shyampukur area of Kolkata, West Bengal. His father’s name is Ranjit Kumar Bagchi. Inspired by the ‘Spring Thunder of Naxalbari’, he has been involved in various political struggles and agitations for social causes since his student days when he was doing his postgraduate course at Jadavpur University.

Amitabh Bagchi and Tauhid Mulla, a West Bengal State Committee member, were arrested by Jharkhand Police from the Hatia- Patna Intercity Express at Ranchi on 19 August 2009. On 23 August 2010, Bagchi was sentenced to life imprisonment by a fast-track court.

The Ranchi High Court granted him bail in Crime Number 166 of 2019 in Chutia, Ranchi District, suspending his sentence.

He was convicted in NIA case R.C. 01/2011/NIA/GAW and served an eight-year sentence.

Despite multiple memos from the magistrate in Karimnagar, the police repeatedly failed to produce Bagchi in court.

After spending time in various jails, he was produced in Karimnagar Court on 12 July 2024 in PRC 69 of 2019.

The II Additional Magistrate granted him default bail on 19 October 2010. After filing the charge sheet, the IV Additional Sessions Judge granted bail on 29 January 2024.

However, on 19 July 2024, the same court reversed its decision without any new facts, circumstances, or violation of Bagchi’s bail order, leaving him in jail as an undertrial for over 13 years in the Karimnagar case.
MD Hussain, who stood as surety for Bagchi, was arrested on 9 July 2024 at his home in Jammikunta Village. Bagchi continues to be harassed by the state.

Gangadhara Rao
An elderly Maoist couple was arrested by a special police team of the Ramagundam Police Commi-exonerate from Indaram village in Jaipur Mandal of Mancherial district.

Mr Gangadhara Rao hails from Narendrapuram in Andhra Pradesh’s B R Ambedkar Konaseema district. His partner Bhavani belongs to the Indaram village in the Mancherial district.

They were arrested and produced in 240 of 2023 before the Chennur magistrate court on 12. 3. 2024. They were granted default bail by the Chennur magistrate court on 10.05.2024 vide Crl.M.P.No 96 of 2024. The bail was stayed by the Principal Sessions Judge at Mancherial. The police did not file a charge sheet even after 8 months since their arrest. The petition is continuously adjoined without an order.

Gangadhara Rao was taken by the Maharashtra police. He was produced in the Etapka police station case. After being produced in court, he was kept in Chenchaguda Central Prison as he had another case in Telangana.

Padam Raj Kumar
The Kothagudem district police have arrested a CPI (Maoist) State Committee member carrying a cash reward of Rs.20 lakh on his head. Thota Seetharamaiah alias Krishnanna of Chintiryala village of Aswapuram Mandal in the district was arrested along with a Dalam member Padam Raj Kumar alias Amarender of Nerella village of Dharmapuri Mandal of Jagtial district at Cherla bus station on Thursday.

These three Prisoners along with two other who were recently shifted from Khammam Jail are on the hunger strike. This was morally supported by all the prisoners.

Thota Seetha Ramaiah was granted bail while he was in the Hospital. At the time of his arrest, he was already of unsound mind.

Mula Devender Reddy
The Police arrested CPI (Maoist) Party Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member Mula Devender Reddy. The 63-year-old Devender Reddy hails from Babbaru Cheluka village of Mancherial district. The Subedari police arrested him when Devender Reddy was going to Hyderabad to get his eye operated on. He is presently in the Jail Hospital.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday filed a charge sheet against six more CPI (Maoist) cadres in connection with the 2021 attack in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur that left 22 security personnel dead. Devender Reddy was charge-sheeted.

He was transferred from Jagdalpur Central Jail to Telangana Jail. Ever since not produced in Jagdalpur NIA Court in NIA annexed C case 05 of 2022.

He was granted bail in Telangana Cases. However, he was not permitted to send his bail petition himself from jail and was not even permitted to send a letter to the court stating that he wanted to engage an advocate.

MadakamKosi alias Rajitha
The duo—Rajitha of Mulkanapalli in Dummugudem Mandal of Telangana’s Bhadrachalam division and Dhani of Konta in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district—are identified as Maoist women cadres.

Madavi Dhani was released on bail. She was not 19 years old but a minor. It was reportedly not mentioned by the police to avoid the juvenile facility instead of jail. The police severely tortured Rajitha. Even when she was produced before the media, the wounds on her face were visible, as Rajitha informed.

Rajitha was produced in Bhadrachalam Court and Hanmakonda Court, the NIA Court at Nampally in Telangana, Ramapchodavaram Court in Andhra Pradesh, and the Jagdalpur NIA Court in Chhattisgarh.

GottaBujji @ Kamala
On 9 July, Police arrested CPI (Maoist) Pamedu local organising squad commander GottaBujji alias Kamala at Taliperu dam.

Kamala, a 29-year-old Maoist, belongs to Charpalli village, which is within the limits of Bhupalapatnam police station in the Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh State.

She has had cases in the Bhadrachalam and Nampally NIA Courts.

They want to remain unconfined in jail during the daytime. But the Prison administrators are not listening. Nor are they ready to grant them pen, paper, book and magazine.

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Frontier
Vol 57, No. 12, Sep 15 - 21, 2024