Kolkata: That the correctional services in West Bengal is not a mere punishment but a sensitive and humane effort to bring inmates into the mainstream of life finds an apt expression in the effort of Presidency correctional services in the state that not only conducted dialysis of a Maoist top gun 320 times in the last couple of years but are running pillar to post to find a kidney donor for aged ailing inmate even when all his family members have denied to give him a new lease of life.
The man in discussion is Buddheshwar Mahato – the Maoist top leader allegedly responsible for orchestrating the Sildha EFR camp ambush in Jhargram in West Bengal in February 2010 where 24 EFR jawans were killed by the ultra-leftists.
According to sources in the police, Mahato, accused of several killings and subversive activities, was arrested from neighbouring Jharkhand in a joint forces’ operation a few days after the attack. He was initially lodged in Midnapore jail and then was shifted to Presidency correctional home because of security reasons, sources in the police said.
“Initially he was in good health but little by little his health condition started to deteriorate and in the last few years he has been detected with numerous ailments including kidney failure. In the last couple of years, he is on continuous dialysis,” a senior official of Presidency correctional home told Etv Bharat on condition of anonymity.
What is more alarming, is that the doctors of SSKM hospital have recently said that this 37-year-old Maoist leader needs a kidney replacement immediately. “The best possibility in case of kidney transplantation is that we get a donor from the family. When we called up their relatives, they even refused to identify him,” the official said.
However, the family members recognised him but they denied any kind of connection with this ailing aged man but we cannot leave him in this way. So, we are trying to find a donor for him. We don’t know whether we would be able to manage one for him but we are exploring every possibility,” the official added.
Though it was not possible to get in touch with Mahato, sources in Presidency correctional home confirmed that the ailing man who once raised his arms against government oppression now believes to return to the mainstream of life.
Speaking to Etv Bharat Super of Presidency Correctional Home, Debashis Chakraborty said, “Before entering the prison the person is a criminal but here everyone is a resident. It is our duty that after spending a long time when he returns to the mainstream of life the person should be a responsible citizen. If we can do this then only, we will believe this to be a correctional home in true sense”.
