Deteriorating Health: Family of Kerala's 67-yr-old UAPA prisoner seeks release

Thiruvananthapuram: The family of the 67-year-old Ibrahim, who is an undertrial UAPA prisoner, has pleaded with the Kerala government to intervene for his bail on reports of his deteriorating health condition. A medical report from the Thrissur Government Medical College report has warned about Ibrahim's weakening heart condition along with various other diseases, including diabetes, pointing to the need for continued treatment and care.

Human rights activists in Kerala have been raising their voices for the release of Ibrahim, a native of Kerala's Wayanad who has been in jail since being caught in 2016 by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) over his alleged connection with CPI (Maoists).

Ibrahim has been accused of involving in a case where a civil police officer's motorcycle was set on fire allegedly by a group of CPI (Maoists) members.

Ibrahim is said to be a popular activist in Wayanad during the late 90s who led several protests against the eviction of workers of the Harrison Malayalam plantations. Human Rights activists said that Ibrahim was targeted for his social and class consciousness and activism.

The medical report stated that Ibrahim has coronary heart disease and has had a myocardial infarction (heart attack) earlier and required continued treatment and medical follow-up for his cardiac condition, with a warning that there is always an increased risk of future cardiovascular events.

Ibrahim, who is already suffering from various diseases including diabetes, has also not been able to intake solid food for the past few months due to the loss of his teeth, according to his family.

The report further said that he is also suffering from breathing difficulty (grade 2 dyspnoea) and that he has features of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and post tuberculosis sequelae– Ibrahim had tuberculosis years back.