Revolutionary Poet Varavara Rao Sick; Family Seeks His Release

HYDERABAD: Revolutionary poet Varavara Rao's daughter Pavana on Saturday renewed her appeal to the government for the immediate release of her father from the Taloja jail in Maharashtra in view of his ill-health. The 81-year-old revolutionary personality is currently serving his time under judicial custody in the sensational Bhima Koregaon case. He is one of the accused in the case, charged with plotting to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Varavara Rao incidentally fell ill on Friday evening and was subsequently shifted to JJ Hospital in Mumbai.

Speaking to media persons on Saturday,  Pavana said that it is the responsibility of the Telangana government to make efforts for his immediate release. She also sought the intervention of Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy to ensure that her father is granted bail.

On this occasion, Pavana appealed to the authorities to allow her to connect with her father via video-conferencing. She said they had written a letter to the Maharashtra Government, Chief Justice of Maharashtra High court requesting them to grant her father the relief of interim bail.

Earlier this week, all three daughters of Varavara Rao -- Sahaja, Pavana and Anala -- had written a letter to the Governor of Maharashtra, Chief Justice of Maharashtra High Court and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, requesting their father’s release as his health was deteriorating.

Meanwhile, several civil liberties activists too appealed for the release of Varavara Rao.

The revolutionary poet, who floated ‘VIRASAM’ (revolutionary writers association) a few decades ago, was arrested and imprisoned in the Bhima Koregaon violence case in November 2018 along with several civil rights activists including Sudha Bharadwaj, Vernon Gonsalves, and Arun Ferreira. The charge sheet filed by the Pune police accuses all of them of conspiring to eliminate Prime Minister Narendra Modi.