Politicians, friends pay tributes to former DU professor Saibaba

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader K Keshav Rao, BRS leader Harish Rao and several others on Monday paid tributes to former Delhi University professor and rights activist G N Saibaba, who died here.

Keshav Rao, MLA Harish Rao visited the residence of Saibaba's brother at Moula-Ali here where the departed professor's body was kept for his relatives and friends to pay homage.

Expressing anguish over the demise of Saibaba, the BRS MLA termed as "unfortunate" the passing of the former after being acquitted by the court.

Principles of justice state that an innocent person should not be punished, which applies in the case of Saibaba, he said. "Who will answer for the pain suffered by Saibaba?" asked Harish Rao, nephew of BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Earlier, the body of Saibaba was taken to the martyr's memorial at Gun Park in front of the Telangana legislature. The mortal remains were not allowed to be taken out of the ambulance as any activity at the place requires permission from competent authorities as it was a VIP zone, police said.

However, Saibaba's friends and others held banners at the Gun Park, hailing him and raised slogans like 'Saibaba amar rahe'.

CPI leader K Narayana told reporters at Gun Park that the question of why was Saibaba, who was acquitted, put in jail should be answered.

Saibaba's family said on Sunday that his body would be donated to a hospital as per his wish. His eyes have already been donated to LV Prasad Eye Hospital here.

In March this year, Saibaba (58) was released from the Nagpur Central Jail after 10 years of incarceration.

The Bombay High Court set aside the life sentence handed to him by a trial court, in an alleged Maoist links case in which the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was invoked.

The former professor who taught English at Ram Lal Anand College of Delhi University (DU) died on Saturday due to post-operative complications, seven months after he was acquitted.

Saibaba was suffering from gall bladder infection and was operated on two weeks ago in the state-run Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), but developed complications subsequently.