Seven months after Delhi University English professor G N Saibaba, who is 90 per cent disabled, was sentenced to life imprisonment, his wife AS Vasantha on Sunday refused to accept monetary help of Rs 45,826 from supporters across the country. The money was collected as part of a social media initiative in the last two days.
The wheelchair-bound professor was arrested on May 9, 2014, for his alleged Maoist links. He and four others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra in March this year.
“Some of his friends and supporters in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, who were aware of our financial situation, undertook an initiative on Friday and posted a message on the social media. They requested people to support Saibaba’s family by contributing Rs 500 in my account,” Vasantha said.
She further said that though the support was overwhelming, she wanted to request people to not deposit any more money in her account. “I was not aware of the initiative. Otherwise, I would have made this request earlier. I am going to handover this money to the Saibaba Defence committee, which has been taking care of our family since my husband were framed,” she said. The Committee, which was set up in 2013 after Saibaba was arrested for the first time, consists of professors, artists, and authors.
“It’s really heartwarming to receive such support and love from across the country. But, I can’t accept even a penny at an individual level as our fight for justice has always been collective,” Vasantha said.
In the last seven months, Vasantha has got to visit her husband only three times. In his latest letter to her, he wrote: “I am not going to survive the coming winter.” “I’m going to meet him on November 14. His condition is deteriorating by the day. He is not even receiving his basic medicines,” she said.
HELD IN MARCH
- Professor GN Saibaba and four others were sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra in March this year .
- In the last seven months, Vasantha has got to visit her husband only three times.
