Ten Opposition parties have urged President Ramnath Kovind to act against those responsible for foisting “false cases” on human rights activist Fr. Stan Swamy for his continued detention in jail and alleged inhuman treatment reulting in his death.
The signatories to a letter to the President include Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister and JD(S) leader Deve Gowda, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin, his West Bengal and Jharkhand counterparts Mamata Banerjee and Hemant Soren respectively, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, NC leader Dr. Farooq Abdullah, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and his CPI counterpart D. Raja.
Also read: Arrest to death: Father Stan Swamy timeline
The Opposition parties said they were writing to express their “deep anguish” and to express “intense grief” and “outrage” at the death of Fr. Swamy, who was jailed last October under the UAPA [Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act] in connection to the Bhima Koregaon case. The 84-year-old Jesuit priest was working with Adivasis in Jharkhand.
The Opposition pointed out that he was denied treatment for his various ailments, including Parkinson’s. It was only after a nationwide campaign was conducted that even a sipper to drink liquids was made available to him in jail, they said.
Also read: Fr. Stan Swamy was jailed on false charges, says top U.N. official
‘Step came too late’
Numerous appeals made to shift him out of the overcrowded Taloja jail that had seen a huge rise in COVID-19 cases were not heard and his bail plea too was rejected. It was only on the intervention of the Bombay High Court that he was admitted to a private hospital, where his condition started deteriorating after he was infected with COVID-19. And this step came too late, the Opposition alleged.
“We are urging your immediate intervention as the President of India to direct ‘your government’ to act against those responsible for foisting false cases on him, his continued detention in jail and inhuman treatment. They must be held accountable,” the letter said.
The Opposition parties urged the government to release forthwith all those jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case and other detenues under ‘politically motivated’ cases, “misusing draconian laws like UAPA and Sedition”.
