Activist Varavara Rao taken to JJ Hospital

Mumbai: Poet and activist Varavara Rao, arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, has been taken to the state-run JJ Hospital here after he complained of dizziness, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Rao, 80, has been behind bars for almost two years and lodged at the Taloja jail in neighbouring Navi Mumbai. The activist and his family members have claimed he is unwell for sometime, and sought the jail authorities to provide him immediate medical care.

"Rao was taken to the JJ Hospital on Monday night after he felt dizzy. The hospital is conducting a few tests on him, the activist's advocate R Satyanarayan Iyer said. On Monday, Rao filed two petitions in the Bombay High Court, seeking temporary bail owing to his deteriorating health and a direction to the jail authorities to produce his medical records and admit him to a state-run or private hospital.