JOIN USA Maoist undertrial languishing in Alipore Central Correctional Home wrote to the court seeking permission to allow him to die. Euthanasia is illegal in India.
Siddhartha Mandal, 34, who was arrested in June 2010, and was charged under several sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, wrote to the court that he is unable to bear the agony of his family, therefore, he should be allowed to die. “He wrote a letter to the court saying that he is innocent and has been implicated falsely, and requested that he either be released or be allowed to die. We forwarded the letter to Mir Rashid Ali (judge, Alipore Fast Track Court),” C R Gorai, the jail superintendent, said.
“One has to feel the agony he is going through. No one asks for death unless the circumstances become so dire that you prefer death over life.
Mandal, without being guilty, has to face punishment and his family is dying of starvation. Why won't he wish for death?,” Mandal’s counsel Subhashish Roy said. Mandal, the sole bread earner of his family, in his letter said his family, including his minor children, are all starving. “As Euthanasia is illegal in the country, the court did not hear the matter but recorded the letter in the case file. The court has also asked the prosecution to expedite Mandal’s hearing,” Roy said.