GN Saibaba: Never thought I’d walk out of jail alive

Delhi University professor G N Saibaba along with five others acquitted by the Bombay High Court in an Unlawful Activities Prevention Act UAPA case walked out of Nagpur Central Jail on Thursday In an exclusive interview with midday he expressed disbelief at being alive after enduring inhuman brutal treatment in the lsquoanda cellrsquo where even sufficient oxygen wasnrsquot availableSaibaba with his team of lawyersWitnessing the death of an inmate under questionable circumstances added to his ordeal Despite his faith in the judiciary enduring 10 years of incarceration without a single piece of evidence and the stigma of being labelled a terrorist was excruciating for him and his family Notably G N Saibabarsquos case was heard twicemdashan unprecedented occurrence in the history of the judiciarymdashunderscoring its uniqueness he said Here are some excerpts from the interview as he spoke with midday from NagpurAfter spending seven years in prison and the case going on for 10 you walked out an innocent manI never imagined I would walk out of prison as a free man but I had faith in the judicial system I want to express gratitude to my lawyers from Delhi Mumbai and Nagpur as well as my family and the press who supported me throughout this ordeal The only thing that has changed in my life is my health Today I have several health issues that I cant even discuss in detailWhy do you believe you were framed The high court order strongly suggests potential planting and fabrication of evidence by the policeIve been saying this since the beginning of the casehellip everything was preplanned by the police When they came to search my house the panch witness was illiterate and not present during the searches They didnt call a qualified panch because they had already decided to frame me in a case unrelated to me They arrested me nine months after the FIR was filed The reason behind this false fabricated case against me was solely due to the work I was doing for human rightsmdashadvocating for the rights of Adivasis Dalits and minoritiesmdashwhich the government disapproved ofG N Saibaba with his wifeSome democratic veterans from Delhi approached me to be the face of human rights activism and work towards justice for people Meanwhile lsquoOperation Green Huntrsquo was underway with tribals facing severe oppression as their lands were seized for mining and other projects The democratic individuals from Delhi urged me to work as a foot soldier for democratic voices and lead human rights groups This I believe didnt sit well with certain people in the government leading to my framing in this caseHow do you reflect on the ten years of incarcerationhellip suffering endured by you and your familyAs a professor and educator its unimaginable for me to bear the stigma of being associated with terrorist activities I dedicated myself to working for the welfare of our tribal communities Inside the prison I endured brutal inhumane treatment confined to the anda cell which lacked oxygen and proper medical carehellip health issues were not addressed When I entered jail I only had heart ailments and childhood polio but now only my right hand functions the rest of my body is paralysed with my left hand damaged during arrest My family too has suffered immensely fighting for justice Its unprecedented that the high court acquitted me in 2022 only to have the same appeal heard again resulting in another acquittal with strong observations about evidence fabrication My case is once again being challenged and I entrust it to the higher judiciary with hopeHow do you plan to move forward Will you continue your work for tribal and human rightsEssentially I am an educator and a proponent of democratic rights with a belief in raising our voices for justice and working towards societal improvement If we stop these efforts society wont progress Its not solely my responsibility to do this but its the duty of every citizen in a privileged position to contribute to society Despite being paralysed I am committed to continuing my work I would also like to add that one such human rights activist Surendra Gadling who was contributing a lot was arrested in a similar way in the Elgar Parishad case only because he was handling my case