Elgar Parishad case: 80-year-old Varavara Rao tests COVID positive at JJ hospital

Amid deteriorating health, poet and activist - Varavara Rao has tested COVID-19 positive on Thursday, as per sources. The 80-year-old who is one of the nine activists arrested in the Elgar Parishad case, was admitted to JJ Hospital after he complained of dizziness. Rao who has been lodged for almost two years in Taloja jail, was moved to JJ Hospital after his family complained that Rao was disoriented and confused while speaking, due to a fall in sodium and potassium levels.

Objectionable tweets against Aaditya Thackeray, Uddhav gets Nagpur resident booked

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury writes to PM Modi

On Tuesday, Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written to PM Modi seeking his intervention in the case stating, "A person of 81 years of age has been languishing in jail for years without knowing his offence, now he has been mentally disoriented, having no medical assistance". He added that Rao cannot be 'a threat to one of the strongest countries in the world'. Rao, who has sought temporary bail owing to his deteriorating health, has already denied bail by an NIA court on June 26.

Varavara Rao who is booked under UAPA taken to JJ Hospital in Mumbai

What is the Elgar Parishad case?

Pune police booked activists Sudha Bharadwaj, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Surendra Gadling, Sudhir Dhawale, P Varavara Rao, Gautam Navlakha, Anand Teltumbde for allegedly inciting the Bhima Koregaon violence through their speech at the Elgar Parishad meeting on December 31, 2017, under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On the following day - January 1, 2018, violence had erupted at Koregaon-Bhima village in Pune district where supporters had gathered in the village to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. The ensuing violence had resulted in the death of one person and several others had been injured - 152 have been arrested.

Bhima Koregaon case: Delhi HC pulls up NIA for 'frantic transfer' of Navlakha to Mumbai

The above-mentioned activists have been charged with  'conspiracy to assassinate PM Narendra Modi', 'overthrow the government', 'waging war against the Government of India'. They are also being probed for links with the banned CPI (Maoists) party.  If convicted under 'waging war against India', all activists face the death sentence or imprisonment for life. Once the new Maha Vikas Aghadi government came into power, it mulled to review the case, leading to the NIA taking over the case on January 24.  Within 10 days - on February 3, NIA registered an FIR in the Elgar Parishad case charging 11 people under the provisions of the anti-terror law UAPA and several IPC sections. 

Poet Varavara Rao moves HC for bail in Elgar Parishad case