Activist Father Stan Swamy died on Monday in the ICU ward of the Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai. The 84-year-old Parkinson patient was charged with the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad case and lodged at the Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai.
The case is related to the alleged inflammatory speeches made by activists in Pune on December 31, 2017.
According to police reports, the speeches triggered violence near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial on the outskirts of the city. Furthermore, it is claimed by the police that the gathering was organised by the people with Maoist links.
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Swamy was shifted to the Holy Family Hospital after having a cardiac arrest. The Bombay High Court in Saturday%u2019s hearing extended Swamy%u2019s stay at the hospital till July 6 after his lawyer Mihir Desai informed the bench of his treatment.
Desai had said that Swamy was the oldest among those arrested in the Elgar Parishad case and possibly the oldest to be charged with UAPA.
He alleged that the National Investigation Agency who was conducting the probe in the case of the Elgar-Parishad-Maoist links had been negligent in providing adequate medical aid. He had asked the High Court to conduct a judicial inquiry over the alleged negligence that caused the activist%u2019s death.
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“The NIA did not seek Swamy’s custody even for a single day, but kept on opposing his bail pleas,” Mihir had said.
“With UAPA, the process is the punishment. The death of 84-year-old Father Stan Swamy should be recognised for what it is – institutional murder. RIP Father Stan%u201D, said the human rights activist Anjali Bhardwaj.
Many in the Opposition are also blaming the death on the Centre saying that Swamy was not treated with justice.
