Vernon Gonsalves bail plea to be heard on September 16

He was admitted to the hospital on September 8 and is currently undergoing treatment for dengue

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court will hear activist Vernon Gonsalves’s bail on September 16 as he continues to be on oxygen support at the State-run J.J. hospital.

Mr. Gonsalves, 67, accused in the Bhima Koregaon case filed for a medical bail before the special NIA court last week after he had high fever for a week. He was admitted to the hospital on September 8 and is currently undergoing treatment for dengue.

Advocate Larsen Furtado had filed an affidavit on September 7, 2022 after he visited the Taloja Central Jail where Mr. Gonsalves was lodged after he was arrested on August 28, 2018.

The affidavit stated, he had gone to take legal interviews of Sagar Gorkhe, Arun Ferreira and Sudhir Dhawale. “They were anxious to convey their apprehension about the deteriorating health of Mr. Gonsalves. Mr. Gorkhe told me that even though Mr. Gonsalves’s health was visibly getting bad, he was only being given paracetamol and antibiotic tablets. Mr. Gorkhe and the other co-accused insisted that Mr. Gonsalves be taken to J.J. Hospital for a proper examination, and yet wasn’t taken till his condition deteriorated to the extent where he could barely walk or breathe properly. Mr. Ferreira saw Mr. Gonsalves was in the jail hospital and was wearing an oxygen mask.”

According to Mr. Dhawale, on August 30, Mr. Gonsalves had a fever and cough. When this was reported to the visiting doctor, he gave him three days of paracetamol and erythromycin without examining him.

“On September 1, Mr. Gonsalves’s fever kept recurring and he was continuing to cough; Next day, he was finally taken to the jail hospital where the doctor, Dr. Chavan gave him an injection and changed the antibiotics and he was sent back to the barracks. On September 3, since his fever had not reduced, he became extremely weak and complained of nausea and dizziness, the doctor again changed his medicines again. Till then no check ups were done. Next day, there was no drop in his temperature and again he was given an injection by the hospital doctor. But no check-ups were done. On September 5, after Mr. Dhawale informed the superintendent of jail that Mr. Gonsalves’s fever and cough was not coming down, he was taken to the jail hospital for some tests; but since no one was there to conduct those tests, he was sent back to the barrack by saying he may have dengue or typhoid. Next day, he had a blood test for Malaria and had high blood pressure. After Mr. Gonsalves requested jail officials with folded hands to take him to State-run J.J. hospital he was taken on a wheelchair as he could not walk. Instead of admitting him, he was sent back to his barrack at 10.30pm,” Mr. Dhawale had informed advocate Furtado.