Former JNU student Sharjeel Imam, who has been in Guwahati jail for months in connection with a sedition case, has tested positive for coronavirus. A Delhi Police team is in the city to take his custody but it will have to wait until he gets better.
The Guwahati central jail is now a containment zone as over 400 inmates have tested positive for the infection so far.
Sharjeel Imam will be admitted to a local hospital for treatment.
Sharjeel Imam was actively involved in the Shaheen Bagh protest in the national capital against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act. He was charged with sedition for his speech where he allegedly threatened to cut off Assam from the rest of the country.
He was brought to Guwahati in January for interrogation.
Muzammil Imam, his brother, claimed patients were not given proper treatment in the jail.
"Hundreds of positive patients are being forced to live in inhumane condition inside the jail premises itself. Pray for his health and safety," he tweeted.
On Tuesday, the Assam Human Rights Commission (AHRC) issued a notice to the government, directing it to submit a report by August 5 on the condition of inmates lodged in jails and correctional homes in the state amid the COVID-19 spike.
The AHRC has acted after Leader of Opposition in Assam, Debabrata Saikia, complained about the alleged negligence in providing proper healthcare facilities to inmates and non-compliance of the COVID-19 protocol by jail authorities.
His complaint had come after anti-CAA activist, Akhil Gogoi, and his close aides were found COVID-19 positive inside the Guwahati Central Jail.
