Students, professors pay tribute to G.N. Saibaba’s fortitude, ideals, fight for human rights

Tribute to G.N. Saibaba's fight for human rights by students and professors, highlighting his fortitude and ideals.

As the sun set on Sunday, a sea of students, professors, and activists converged outside Sabarmati Hostel at Jawaharlal Nehru University to pay tribute to Professor G.N. Saibaba, 57, a teacher, scholar, and activist who endured over 3,500 days in prison and passed away on Saturday night following post-operative complications.

As they gathered to honour his memory, chants of “Political prisoners ko rihaa karo (Free political prisoners)” and “Inquilab Zindabad (Long live the revolution)” filled the air. Students also adorned the bushes and trees with photographs and posters bearing Saibaba’s quotes.

An advocate for Dalit, Adivasi, and disability rights, Saibaba had been undergoing treatment for a gall bladder ailment at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) in Hyderabad for three weeks. According to NIMS director Dr. N. Bheerappa, he underwent surgery and had initially recovered. However, his underlying conditions, including heart issues and blood clots, ultimately proved fatal.

Saibaba, who was stricken with post-polio paralysis at the age of five, had acquired a wheelchair only after he moved to Delhi in 2003 to teach English at Delhi University’s Ram Lal Anand College. He was arrested from Delhi on allegations of having Maoist links in 2014. Three years later, a Maharashtra sessions court convicted him.

However, the Bombay High Court ordered his release in October 2022, citing irregularities in the trial process. But Saibaba’s freedom was short-lived. Within 24 hours, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court order, deeming the charges against him and other accused “very serious” and necessitating a fresh hearing.

The Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court acquitted Saibaba on March 5 this year. Two days later, he was finally released from Nagpur Central Jail, where he had spent 3,592 days in the ‘Anda cell’.

One of the seniormost professors in the gathering on Sunday was Manoranjan Mohanty, a human rights activist and scholar. He shared that he had visited Saibaba just 18 days back when he was undergoing a critical surgery. Although he had initially recovered, his body deteriorated rapidly on Saturday, he said.