Treating Qasab and the sadhvi at JJ Hospital together will overburden security forces, say police..
The lone surviving terrorist of the 26/11 terror attacks, Mohammed Ajmal Qasab, has been receiving preferential treatment, quite literally. Qasab, who is suffering from an eye infection, will soon be rushed to J J Hospital, but at the cost of the Malegaon blast accused Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur. The police seem to have taken Qasab’s infection more seriously than the sadhvi’s spondylosis.
And if the Rs 2 crore spent on Qasab’s security, making him India’s costliest prisoner, was not enough, the eye treatment is expected to cost the taxpayer an additional Rs 3 lakh, which will include transporting Qasab from Arthur Road Jail to the hospital and the security arrangements.
The sadhvi’s treatment has been put on hold, as treating both the high profile prisoners at the same time at the hospital may put too much pressure on the security forces, informed police sources.
Delaying treatment
According to the sadhvi’s advocate Naveen Chomal, Special Judge M P Puranik yesterday advised that she should be moved to the hospital immediately for treatment. “She has been complaining of severe back pain over the past few weeks. However, the jail authorities have deferred moving her to J J Hospital on the pretext that there are no guards to escort her,” Chomal told.
Lawyer clueless
Interestingly, Qasab’s lawyer Abbas Kazmi was unaware about his eye problem. According to him, Qasab probably complained to jail authorities about the infection. “The jail authorities are yet to inform me about his treatment,” he said. It is still not clear how Qasab developed the infection, but it could be attributed to unhygienic conditions in and around the cell, informed sources.
Meanwhile, preparations are in full swing at the J J Hospital to admit Qasab. The ophthalmology department near the prisoners’ ward is being readied for his treatment, said hospital officials.
Why was the sadhvi hospitalised earlier?
In Byculla jail, the sadhvi had developed a skin infection in her right armpit, which later spread to her arm. Her condition worsened after she gave up solid foods on allegedly finding a portion of a raw egg in the boiled cabbage that she was served.
On March 6, she went on a liquid diet, but had to be admitted to JJ Hospital on March 27, for dehydration and worsening of the skin infection. In hospital, she was put on an intravenous drip. The admission was as per the orders of the special MCOCA court to the Byculla jail authorities.
–Agencies