Dandapani begins hunger strike

BERHAMPUR: Convener of Daman Pratirodh Manch Dandapani Mohanty, 64, who is lodged in Berhampur Circle Jail as an undertrial prisoner, launched a hunger strike on Friday. The manch is working on human rights protection.
Mohanty, who was arrested for allegedly indulging in Maoist activities, is demanding political prisoner status.
Fast by Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda entered its third day on Friday in the same jail.
Sabyasachi is protesting against his solitary confinement, alleged blocking of his letters to courts by the jail authorities and government not providing the list of cases pending against him in different police stations.
Dandapani was arrested from his house here on February 8, 2013. Since then he was lodged in different jails, including R Udayagiri and Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district, apart from Berhampur.
He wrote letters to governor S C Jamir and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, urging them to provide him political prisoner status considering his involvement in politics in last 40 years.
"Despite our repeated attempts, they did not take food," said senior superintendent, circle jail, Raghunath Majhi.
The jail doctors conducted health check-up of both inmates. The condition of both is stable, they said.
Dandapani was an interlocutor during government-Maoist talks when the rebels kidnapped the then Malkanagiri collector R Vineel Krishna (February 17-26, 2011) and two Italians (March 14 to April 12, 2012).
Sabyasachi re-launched his hunger strike after government did not fulfil his demands.
He was on fast from March 31 to April 4 and postponed it after the jail authorities assured him to draw the attention of authorities concerned to his demands. Sabysachi, founder of Odisha Maobadi Party, was arrested from Berhampur on July 17 last year.