Seven days after he launched an indefinite fast for united Andhra Pradesh, doctors at the Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) forcibly administered IV fluids to Kadapa MP YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday, putting an end to his six-day fast.
Jagan was shifted to NIMS on Friday night from Osmania General Hospital (OGH) when his health started deteriorating fast, causing concern.
On Saturday afternoon, between 1:30 pm and 2 pm, NIMS authorities, after getting permission from the Chanchalguda Jail authorities to force-feed fluids to Jagan to break his fast in view of his deteriorating health. Jail authorities gave the permission under Sec 593 of Prisons Act, which says that it is the duty of the prison officials to do whatever they can in a reasonable manner to maintain the health of a prisoner.
‘’Doctors finally broke Jagan’s fast in the afternoon by force-feeding him with intravenous fluids. He was weak and was having a mild temperature. Sugar levels were down. After considering his condition, doctors took the step. For the past few days we had been very concerned about his deteriorating health and asked him to give up fast but he refused. It will take three to four days for him to recover and retain normal health,’’ Jagan’s wife Bharathi told mediapersons outside the hospital at Punjagutta.
Bharathi was accorded permission to visit her husband in the hospital by the special CBI court on Saturday on the condition that she would only attend on Jagan between 8 am and 4 pm till he is discharged from the hospital.
On Friday, when Bharathi had sought permission to meet Jagan at the Osmania Hospital, she was denied permission and prison officials advised her to seek CBI court’s permission. She, along with her mother-in-law Vijayamma, then filed a memo, which the court rejected. Later, Bharathi personally went to the court and filed a petition seeking permission to attend on her husband in the hospital. The hearing on the petition was posted to Saturday.
Jagan has been on an indefinite hunger strike at the Chanchalguda jail here since Sunday demanding that the Centre keep the state undivided if it failed to address the concerns of the people of Andhra and Rayalaseema regions. Ever since he began his fast, doctors have been conducting medical tests on him twice a day.
On Thursday night he was shifted to OGGH amidst tight security on the advice of doctors attending on him in the prison. In spite of the repeated requests from the doctors, Jagan has refused to give up his fast.
On Friday evening, OGGH doctors had requested the Chanchalguda Jail authorities to shift Jagan to NIMS citing lack of sophisticated medical equipment. Considering the request, jail authorities shifted him to at around 11:45 p.m.
YSRCP leaders have been urging their leader to give up the fast after passing a resolution to that affect in the party’s Political Affairs Committee on Friday.
They heaved a sigh of relief, after his fast was forcefully ended on Saturday afternoon.