A Delhi University professor’s house was raided by the Maharashtra Police and Special Cell of Delhi Police in a joint operation on Thursday afternoon. A team of Maharashtra Police force led by Additional Superintendent of Police (Gadchiroli) reached the residence of GN Saibaba, an Assistant Professor of English at Ram lal Anand College to search the place with regard to some documents for his alleged involvement with Naxalites.
Sources in the Delhi Police said its counterpart of Maharashtra came to the Capital with warrant to search the house of Saibaba. “Gadchiroli police have arrested an alleged Naxalite and following his revelation the police team searched Saibaba’s house in the afternoon. The Delhi Police is obliged to facilitate and we just followed the laws,” sources said and refused to divulge further details.
A senior official of the Delhi Police also refused to comment on the recovery. “Whatever material they (Gadchiroli police) have found, we don’t have any information,” he said. Sources said the raiding team had confiscated a large number of files, pen-drives, a laptop, and all the three mobile phones belonging to the family.
However, the action by the police drew criticism from the teachers of the Delhi University. In joint statement issued by teachers of various colleges of Delhi University, they condemned the action of the police. The statement was also signed by newly elected president of Delhi University Teachers’ Association Nandita Narain.
They said, “We express our deep sense of shock and outrage at the treatment meted out by the police to our colleague, Dr GN Saibaba. During the entire course of this completely baseless investigation, Dr Saibaba and his family, including his 15 year-old daughter, were kept in custody in his house and prevented from either making or receiving calls, or meeting anyone who sought to meet them.”
“Despite repeated requests by many of us to at least return the daughter’s phone, since it was dangerous to leave a physically-disabled person with no means of communication (Dr Saibaba suffers from 90 per cent disability), the police refused to do so. Dr Saibaba was not allowed to call his lawyer, or even any of his colleagues to ensure fair and transparent investigation,” the statement said.
The statement was jointly signed by Dr PK Vijayan, Hindu College, Dr Saroj Giri, Department of Political Science, Dr Karen Gabriel, St Stephen’s College, Hany Babu, Department of English, Nandita Narain, St Stephen’s College, Nandini Dutta of Miranda House and
eight others.