THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath seeking his intervention to provide adequate medical attention to Malayali journalist Siddique Kappan who is in custody under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Tested Covid positive, Kappan is learnt to be facing severe health issues even as he has been admitted to a hospital in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
The CM took the initiative on Sunday after Kappan’s wife, Raihanath, urged him to intervene in her husband’s case. Earlier, 11 UDF MPs -- led by K Sudhakaran -- have shot off a letter to Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana, seeking the Supreme Court’s intervention. Pinarayi highlighted that Siddique is having diabetes and heart ailments.
“After getting infected with Covid-19, he has been admitted to KVM Hospital, Mathura. He is reportedly being kept chained to his bed even when his health condition is precarious. I request your good self to intervene in the matter so that a humane treatment is accorded to Kappan.
Expert health care, necessary for him, may also be seriously considered by shifting him to another super specialty hospital, where modern life saving facilities are ensured,” the CM said in the letter.Rihanath had also sent a letter to the CJI requesting arrangements to shift him to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences from the Mathura hospital.
The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) -- which is fighting for the journalist’s release -- had filed a petition before the Supreme Court on April 22 requesting to shift Kappan to AIIMS or the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
The MPs noted in their joint letter that Kappan has been handcuffed to his bed like an animal at the hospital where he also suffered a fracture to his jaw bone in a fall a few days ago.The Supreme Court had received seven habeas corpus petitions over the past six months. The MPs highlighted that, because of unknown reasons, the petitions were never considered.
“Siddique Kappan had gone to Hathras on October 5 to discharge his duties as a journalist. He was arrested at Mathura and the Supreme Court which is the constitutional office-bearer should reconsider Siddique Kappan’s case,” said the letter signed by the 11 UDF MPs.
Apart from Sudhakaran, the other MPs are K Muraleedharan, E T Mohammed Basheer, V K Sreekandan, Ramya Haridas, Benny Behanan, T N Prathapan, Dean Kuriakose, Anto Antony, N K Premachandran and P V Abdul Wahab.