Ranchi: Activists ask Uddhav Thackeray to ensure Stan Swamy is treated with dignity

RANCHI: Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasaba (JJM), a conglomeration of several rights groups, on Monday wrote to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray urging him to ensure that the 83-year-old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Stan Swamy is provided all required amenities in jail and treated with dignity.
Calling Swamy a “public-spirited citizen” who dedicated his life working for the cause of adivasi rights in Jharkhand, JJM appealed to the Maharashtra government to arrest the actual perpetrators of the violence in Bhima-Koregaon in January 2018 to and ensure speedy trial of the case.
Swamy is in Taloja jail since he was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from his residence in Ranchi on October 8. “He is a Parkinson’s patient and suffers with severe tremors in both his hands. He has trouble drinking water from a glass, taking a bath and washing clothes on his own. He is also suffering from hearing problems and needs hearing aid in both ears. He was also operated twice for hernia in the recent past,” the letter, a copy of which is also sent to Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, read.
The letter accused jail authorities of denying Swamy a straw and sipper, forcing the under-trial octogenarian to move court for those. “It is also disappointing that the court simply rejected Stan Swamy’s plea without addressing the basic issue. We would also like to bring to your notice that the jail authorities also refused to allow Swamy access to warm clothes sent by his family. This is a serious violation of basic rights of an elderly person with disability. We request the Maharashtra government to ensure amenities and dignity to the undertrial activists,” JMM pleaded, adding that only after widespread condemnation, the jail authorities finally gave a sipper to Stan Swamy on November 29.
“We would also take this opportunity to appeal to arrest the actual perpetrators of the violence in Bhima-Koregaon in January 2018 – primarily Milind Ekbote and Sambhaji Bhide (leaders of Shiv Pratishthan Hindustan and Hindu Ekta Aghadi) and ensure speedy trial of their case to expose the blatant attempts by the NIA to target activists, lawyers and intellectuals by false cases,” noted the letter dated November 30 and was released to media on Tuesday.