Journalist Siddique Kappan shifted back to Mathura Jail

Family alleges he was moved in a secretive manner, they were denied access to meet him

The family of Malayalam journalist Siddique Kappan, who is incarcerated in Uttar Pradesh over sedition charges, have alleged that he was shifted back to the Mathura Jail from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi in a hurried and secretive manner, and that they were denied access to meet him during his stay at the hospital. The family claimed Mr. Kappan was shifted back to Mathura without being fully treated. Shailendra Maitreya, Superintendent of the Mathura Jail, where the scribe is lodged, said he could not comment on the allegations made by the family but confirmed that Mr. Kappan had been brought back to the prison on Thursday night and kept in an isolation ward, where he was being provided medication as per protocol. Mr. Kappan, who tested positive for the coronavirus on April 21, is still positive, said Mr. Maitreya and the scribe’s lawyer Wills Matthew. Mr. Kappan was shifted to AIIMS hospital after the Supreme Court instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to transfer him to a hospital in Delhi for proper treatment. He was initially admitted to the KM Medical College in Mathura where his family alleged he was subjected to mental torture.