Activists and supporters of Prof G N Saibaba, who was arrested for his alleged links with Maoists, on Saturday, shot off a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan demanding his immediate release.
In the letter to Chavan, the activists expressed their shock and dismay at the manner in which Saibaba was arrested.
“Saibaba has been facing harassment and intimidation since last one year. The reason behind this branding, intimidation, arrest and harassment is obvious. Saibaba has been vocal against the anti-people policies of the state, the rampant injustice and oppression and most importantly against Operation Green Hunt,” the letter said.
The activists claimed that there has been a “concerted attempt” time and again to “gag” him and referred to the raid in his house in September last year under the “absurd pretext” of keeping stolen property.
“Clearly there is an attempt to frame him,” they said.
Saibaba, a wheel-chair bound English professor of Delhi University, was arrested on Friday while on his way home from work. His wife Vasantha alleged that she came to know about the arrest through a “mysterious” call, which did not provide Saibaba’s whereabouts and details about the arrest.
Meanwhile, around 50 students from Delhi University and Jawaharlal Nehru University on Saturday staged a protest outside Maharashtra Sadan on K G Marg.
The protesters handed over a memorandum to the Resident Commissioner of Maharashtra Sadan, which was addressed to Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. In the memorandum, the students said that the arrest is an attempt to “frame him up” and condemned the “illegal” detention.