A group of intellectuals has decried the arrest of K. Muraleedharan, who is said to be an activist of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), from a hospital near Pune where he was undergoing treatment.

In a statement here on Wednesday, they said the action of the Maharashtra Anti-Terror Squad (ATS) was unjustified, as “denying medical assistance to a sick person is totally inhuman and against the very principle of natural justice and violation of the right to life guaranteed under the Constitution.”

Mr. Muraleedharan, also known as Ajith, was arrested on May 9 from Pune’s Morya Hospital in Talegaon Dabhade.

“Considering that Ajith was ailing and was hospitalised at the time of his arrest, we feel that he should have been allowed to continue under medical treatment in the hospital even if with police surveillance. We also demand that Ajith and his friend [C.P. Ismail, his bystander] be enabled to access a legal counsel of their choice as entitled by the Constitution,” they said condemning the arrest.