Health of accused in Elgar case deteriorating: Family

Family members of Varavara Rao, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case, on Sunday said that his health is deteriorating and urged the authorities concerned to provide him better medical aid. The 81year-old activist is currently lodged at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai.

Addressing an online press conference, Mr Rao’s wife, daughters and other family members said they were worried about his “deteriorating health” as he is hallucinating and is in a delirious state. They claimed his health condition has been deteriorating ever since he was shifted to Mumbai’s JJ Hospital in in an unconscious state on May 28.

Mr Rao was discharged three days later and was again lodged behind the bars despite not having improvement in his health. “We were very much disturbed as during his routine calls (to family members) allowed by police, his voice was weak, he was incoherent, mumbling and unable to speak,” Mr Rao’s wife said in the conference.

The family also added that Mr Rao had failed to answer straight questions on his health and spoke of his father and mother’s final rites that happened decades ago. “We were also told he is always hallucinating that the family members were waiting at the jail gate to receive him as he was getting released. The confusion, loss of memory and incoherence are a result of the electrolyte imbalance in the body and fall in sodium and potassium levels, leading to a possible brain damage,” Mr Rao’s wife claimed.

The family also said the Taloja jail is not equipped to handle his condition.