On the day of Eid, Hany Babu's family receives news of DU professor testing COVID positive

On the day of Eid Ul Fitr, what awaited Fathima, the mother of imprisoned Delhi University professor Hany Babu was rather grim. She had arrived at Mumbai's JJ Hospital to meet Babu, who was seeking treatment for a severe eye infection that he had developed. While she was denied access to meet him, she was also informed that he was COVID positive.

"We are yet to receive any official information either from the prison or from the NIA. Despite requests, we have not received any
information regarding his CT count, his vital statistics and the results of any tests conducted," says his wife DU professor Jenny Rowena in a statement. In the last two days, Rowena had written to the Kerala Chief Minister Pinrayi Vijayan and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, seeking interim bail and proper treatment for Babu, who has been an undertrial in the Bhima Koregaon case, since July 2020. Recently, he developed an eye infection, which Rowena said was badly affecting his vision.

"Through the last few days, our entire family has been wrecked with anxiety. The thought of Hany having to beg for something as basic as essential health services are heart-wrenching. It is abject injustice that Hany should have to suffer repeatedly due to the negligence of State Officials. We are dealing with an opaque and callous system that is deaf to our cries and blind to our pain," Rowena said in a statement.  

They now seek proper treatment for the professor in a multi-speciality hospital and a copy of his medical reports.