G N Saibaba had enormous love for country, should be seen as hero: Mander

G N Saibaba, who died due to post-operative complications last week, seven months after he was acquitted in a case alleging his Maoist links, was a person with enormous love for his country and should be seen as a hero, activist Harsh Mander said on Monday. At a memorial service held for the former Delhi University (DU) professor by the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD), Mander and other activists also alleged that Saibaba's death was an "institutional murder" and that his health had deteriorated due to poor conditions in jail. Mander, a former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, described Saibaba as a professor who was loved by his students and a person concerned about injustice and inhumanity. "This became a reason for the establishment to accuse him of being a Maoist," he said. "There was no evidence of him having participated in any kind of violent activity," he added. Mander said Saibaba spent 10 years in jail, including the entire COVID-19 pand