Prof. Anand Teltumbde, Prof. Soma Sen, Prof. Hany Babu, Fr. Stan Swamy, Mr. Mahesh Raut, Mr. Sudhir Dhawale, Adv. Surendra Gadling, Adv. Sudha Bharadwaj, Mr. Gautam Navlakha, Mr. Rona Wilson, Mr. Arun Ferreira, Mr. Vernon Gonsalves, Mr. Sagar Gorkhe, Mr. Ramesh Gaichor, Ms. Jyoti Jagtap

HRDs

Maharashtra 

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commissions of India on May 19, 2021, regarding inhuman conditions in Taloja and Byculla jail and the resulting threat to the lives of the above-mentioned undertrial HRDs in the Bhima-Koregaon Elgar Parishad case. 

Most of the above undertrials HRDs are above 50 years of age and are suffering from various co-morbidities. There were rising COVID-19 infections that could prove fatal in both jails, as they lack ventilation, abysmal social distancing, and acute water shortage. The majority of the cleaners and cooks have tested positive in both jails. The jails did not have trained medical doctors, nurses, or lab technicians. The inmates were treated by Ayurveda doctors. The availability of COVID testing kits is abysmally low and tests are few. 

The treatment meted to the undertrial HRDs by the jail authorities is in violation of the Right to Life with Dignity guaranteed under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. It is also a violation of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rule for Treatment of Prisoners.