India – CASR Demands Immediate Specialized Medical Treatment for the Prisoner Vishal Singh
We hereby share a statement issued by the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) yesterday, August 6th.
CASR DEMANDS IMMEDIATE SPECIALISED MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR JAILED DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER VISHAL SINGH
The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) expresses its grave concern over the rapidly deteriorating health of jailed documentary filmmaker and activist Vishal Singh, who has been incarcerated since June 2025 after being arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Lucknow Conspiracy Case.
Vishal Singh is a documentary filmmaker whose work has consistently highlighted the lives and struggles of ordinary people. He documented the Delhi communal violence and, through his YouTube channel People’s Marx, chronicled the lives of migrant workers during the COVID-19 lockdown. Instead of recognising his democratic and journalistic work, the Indian state has subjected him to prolonged incarceration under a case that we believe is politically motivated.
Reports regarding Vishal’s health are extremely alarming. According to information shared publicly by his partner, Vishal has a history of migraines, which have become significantly more frequent during his imprisonment. He has reportedly been surviving on medication without adequate specialist care, proper nutrition, or regular medical monitoring.
His condition is reported to have worsened dramatically following a stroke-like or seizure-related episode in March 2026. He is now reportedly suffering from dangerously high blood pressure of around 200 mmHg, continuous vomiting, inability to retain food or water, swelling of his face and legs, severe weakness, difficulty walking, and severe vision loss. During a prison visit on 22 July, his partner stated that Vishal was unable to recognise her from less than a foot away because of the deterioration of his eyesight. Despite the seriousness of his reported condition, he was reportedly kept in the jail OPD for five days instead of being shifted to a specialised hospital.
The continued denial of timely and adequate medical treatment to prisoners has become a disturbing pattern. We cannot ignore the tragic deaths of Stan Swamy, Pandu Narote, Kanchan Nanaware, and the prolonged denial of proper medical care to Prashant Bose during incarceration. These cases have raised serious concerns regarding the treatment of prisoners suffering from severe illnesses. We fear that unless urgent intervention takes place, Vishal Singh’s life may also be placed at grave risk.
CASR demands that Vishal Singh be immediately shifted to a well-equipped government super-speciality hospital outside the prison for comprehensive diagnosis and treatment under the supervision of independent medical specialists. His health and life cannot be left to the inadequate facilities available inside the jail.
We urgently appeal to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), the Uttar Pradesh State Human Rights Commission, and the Allahabad High Court to immediately intervene and ensure that Vishal Singh receives urgent, independent, and specialised medical treatment outside the prison hospital. We also call upon the NIA Special Court, Lucknow, which has been made aware of his deteriorating medical condition, to act without delay to safeguard his right to life and health. Any further delay in providing adequate medical treatment will raise serious questions about the responsibility of the concerned authorities.
CASR also calls upon all democratic organisations, human rights groups, civil liberties organisations, lawyers, journalists, artists, writers, and concerned citizens to raise their voices and build public pressure on the authorities to ensure that Vishal Singh receives immediate and proper medical care. Protecting the life and dignity of every prisoner is a constitutional and humanitarian obligation.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST STATE REPRESSION (CASR)
Organising Team:
(AIRSO, APCR, ASA, BASF, BSM, Bhim Army, bsCEM, CEM, COLLECTIVE, CRPP, CSM, CTF, DISSC, DSU, DTF, Forum Against Repression Telangana, Fraternity, IAPL, Innocence Network, Karnataka Janashakti, LAA, Mazdoor Adhikar Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, NAPM, Nazariya Magazine, Nishant Natya Manch, Nowruz, NTUI, People’s Watch, Rihai Manch, Samajwadi Janparishad, Samajwadi Lok Manch, Bahujan Samajwadi Manch, United Peace Alliance, WSS, Y4S)
