Swami Sanand in hospital after health worsens

VARANASI: Scientist-turned-seer Swami Gyan Swarup Sanand, earlier known as Prof G D Agrawal, stopped drinking water from Friday demanding action to save the Ganga. The district administration admitted him to Varanasi’s S P G Divisional Hospital Sunday morning after his health deteriorated.
But, Sanand is firm on his fast-unto-death stir. At the hospital’s emergency ward, he continued his fast and read from the Bhagwat Gita and the Ramcharit Manas.Another seer, Gangapremi Bhikshu, sat on hunger strike at Kedar Ghat where Sanand was fasting. Sanand was on hunger strike from February 8 to March 8. He stopped drinking water on March 9 and lost weight.
Varanasi ADM (administration) R Y Mishra and SP (City) M S Chauhan went to Kedar Ghat Saturday to morning convince him to call off his stir. But Sanand did not budge.
In the evening, district magistrate Ravindra and DIG Ram Kumar, too tried to persuade him to break his fast but failed. They returned leaving a team of health officials, including two doctors, with the seer.
The doctors recommended Sanand be sent to hospital. Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati, Ganga Sewa Abhiyanam (GSA) coordinator, and Swami Swarupanand Saraswati, disciple of Shankaracharya of Jyotish and Dwarka Sharda Peeth, said, “Swami Sanand could be treated at the agitation venue. But, government doctors and district administration were determined to take him to the hospital. We allowed them as we did not want to create trouble.”
They said Sanand walked to the ambulance and that his health was not as bad as what the district officials were making it out to be.
D B Singh, chief superintendent of the hospital, said ketone bodies were found in Sanand’s urine. So, he had to be admitted to the hospital. Sanand’s blood report was normal though. The ECG report showed he had a left ventricular failure (LVF), said Singh.
The seer-activists claimed they had sent an open letter to prime minister Manmohan Singh on January 3.