Jailed “Raavan” needs urgent medical care, says Bhim Army, officials deny

PTI, Jan 5, 2020, 11:52 AM IST

New Delhi: The Bhim Army claimed on Saturday that its jailed chief Chandrashekhar Azad was unwell and needed immediate medical care.

A senior jail official, however, denied the claim, saying Azad was “absolutely fine” and no such issue had come to their notice during routine medical check-ups by the official jail doctor.

Chandrashekhar Azad’s personal doctor Harjeet Singh Bhatti claimed that the Bhim Army chief suffers from a disease which requires biweekly phlebotomy, a “procedure to remove extra red blood cells from the blood to treat certain blood disorders”.

Bhim Army spokesperson Kush Ambedkarwadi, who had met the jailed chief on Friday, said Azad has been undergoing treatment for the disease for the past one-and-a-half years and that he had told authorities at the Tihar Jail, where he is currently lodged, about it.

The last session of phlebotomy was scheduled a week ago. Chandrashekhar Azad has been complaining of headache, dizziness, pain in abdomen, the doctor claimed.

“If Azad doesn’t get immediate medical care, his blood might get thicker and he may suffer a cardiac arrest. The jail authorities are not allowing him to visit AIIMS,” he said.

“This is inhuman and clear violation of human rights. I request Delhi Police and (Home Minister) Amit Shah to get him admitted to AIIMS,” he posted on Twitter.

The jail authorities, however, said Azad was “absolutely fine” and medical assistance will be provided to him if the need arises.

The Delhi Police arrested Chandrashekhar Azad on December 21, a day after his outfit organised a march from Jama Masjid to Jantar Mantar against the new citizenship law without permission from police.