The arrest of Muraleedharan K, a maoist leader from Kerala by the Anti-Terrorism Squad from Pune, has invited contempt from some prominent figures in the country.A petition condemns the arrest from the hospital and says, "The only reason given by the ATS for the arrest is that Ajit and Ismail “belong to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist)”. We feel that the action of the ATS is totally 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. Considering that Ajith was ailing and was hospitalised at the time of his arrest, we feel that he should have been be allowed to continue under medical treatment in the hospital even if with police surveillance. Even persons accused of diabolic crimes are not denied medical assistance in case of health problems. The health condition of 62-year old Ajit, a heart patient who had already undergone a bypass surgery, is a matter of deep concern and we demand that that the ATS should disclose his health condition forthwith and provide him with the necessary medical help. We also demand that Ajit and his friend should be enabled to access a legal counsel of their choice as entitled by the constitution."Sixty-two-year-old Muraleedharan, a son of a former diplomat, popularly known as Ajith has been a political activist for the last four decades and a distinguished scholar of political economy and dalit studies, and was arrested from Morya Hospital in Talegaon Dabhade near Pune on May 9, 2015 by the ATS of Maharashtra police, along with his aid CP Ismail.The petition has over 20-odd signatories including writers, activists and professors from various universities. “Ajit and Ismail were produced in the court of additional sessions judge SV Mane on May 10, 2015 and the judge had sent the two in the custody of the ATS for the next seven days after a hearing held in in-camera. We understand that Ajit and Ismail were not given any access to a legal counsel to represent them when they were presented in the court,” reads the petition.According to the petition, Ajith is a heart patient who has undergone bypass surgery and says that denying medical assistance to him is totally unjustified and “against the very principle of natural justice and violation of the right to life guaranteed under the constitution”. Signatories of the petition include, Prof. P. Haragopal (National Law University of India), Prof. Prabhat Patnaik (Centre of Economic Studies & Planning, JNU), Prof. Amit Bhaduri (Centre of Economic Studies & Planning, JNU), Prof. Nivedita Menon (School of International Studies, JNU), Sujato Bhadra from the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights, poet K Satchidanandan, TT Sreekumar (Professor MICA Ahemadabad) and writer Meena Kandasami.Read- How the son of a diplomat went on to become a wanted Maoist