Can There be More Inhumanity and Cruelty than This?

In late February, Prof G N Saibaba’s mother, 74-year old G Suryavathi was diagnosed with Lymphoproliferative Disorder (possibly High Grade Non-hodgkins Lymphoma), a type of lymph node cancer. With the mention of cancer, one realises how serious is the condition of the patient and do whatever is needed, of course if one has a heart.

She is so fond of Saibaba, and she could not even be moved to visit her favourite son in Nagpur jail after the sad news. Then family and friends began the process to seek at least a temporary parole to Saibaba to visit his ailing mother. Coronavirus lockdown thwarted all the efforts and in mid-April, Saibaba sent an appeal to authorities to grant him a parole on humanitarian grounds to visit his mother. The Divisional Commissioner, Nagpur Division, who is authorised to grant such parole, replied almost after ten days, that parole cannot be given (the letter is in Marathi, which Saibaba cannot read!!) and the jail authorities, in turn, sent a copy of that letter along with a cold covering letter to Saibaba’s brother, to let the mother know the shocking response.

Can there be more inhuman, cruel, atrocious response than this ?

_ N Venugopal