AGRA: Atiq-ur-Rahman, 26 — a Meerut University PhD scholar who was arrested along with Kerala journalist Siddique Kappan and two others on the way to meet the Hathras gang-rape and murder victim’s family — suffered a serious cardiac and respiratory disorder while being taken to Lucknow for a court appearance on Wednesday.
He was taken to a community health centre, then a district hospital and, finally, SN Medical College, which referred him to a higher centre. But authorities allegedly took him back to jail instead. A Lucknow court has now asked the authorities to take him to a better hospital, which the DM said is being worked out now.
Rahman had been arrested on sedition and UAPA charges in October last year and has been incarcerated at the Mathura prison. In December, the Enforcement Directorate had stepped in to investigate money laundering charges against Rahman and the three others. He was being taken to a special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Lucknow when his condition deteriorated.
“He was initially admitted to a community health centre, from where he was moved to the Agra district hospital and, later, referred to SN Medical College. There, the doctors advised him to be admitted to a higher centre — AIIMS in Delhi or SGPGI (Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences) in Lucknow. But the government authorities took him back to Mathura jail,” Rahman’s father-in-law Sakhawat Khan wrote in a letter to the DM. “Considering the fact that the trial has not commenced and presumption of his innocence exists, he may be provided urgent medical treatment at AIIMS or an equivalent centre.”
TOI had earlier reported that Rahman has a congenital heart disease. He has aortic regurgitation, a condition in which the aortic valve does not close tightly. He was being treated at AIIMS Delhi before he was arrested. “He has to be provided urgent and proper treatment. The authorities know his medical status,” defence counsel Madhuvan Dutt Chaturvedi told TOI.
When his counsel moved court on Thursday, sessions judge of special court PMLA, Sarvesh Kumar, asked Mathura district jail authorities to provide the right treatment to Rahman, ensure medical facilities were provided and move him to a higher centre for proper treatment if required. The court also asked for a report on Rahman’s medical condition. The next hearing is on October 12.
Mathura DM Navneet Singh Chahal said Rahman is stable now. Chahal added, “We are in the process of sending him to AIIMS as soon as possible.”
