Dr GN Saibaba, the suspected Maoist sympathiser, who went on an indefinite hunger strike at the Nagpur central jail, withdrew his strike after a court directive ordered jail authorities to provide medical treatment and facilities required due to his disability and health conditions.

Saibaba, a Delhi university English professor, was arrested by the state police in May last year from Delhi for his alleged Maoist links. He has been booked under several sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the Gadchiroli police filed a charge sheet against him before the district court.

Saibaba, who was put in the Central Prison in Nagpur, was on hunger strike since Sunday to protest against the withdrawal of these medical facilities. “His health deteriorated so much that last night he became unconscious. The jail authorities shifted him to the local government-run Medical College and Hospital. They also sent a wireless message to his wife in Delhi, through the nearest police station,” said Soma Sen, a member of the Committee for the Defence and Release of Saibaba.

“He has multiple calculi in his gall bladder and atrophy of his shoulder muscles. There is also degeneration of his cervical spine and his rib cage is bending inwards. The bail of the polio-stricken professor was rejected by the high court twice. He continues to languish as an under trial for suspected links with Maoists,” said GN Ramdeo, Saibaba’s brother.