Stan Swamy death: Sonia, Pawar, Mamata & others write to President Kovind, demand justice

Opposition leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, NCP’s Sharad Pawar and TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, have written to President Ram Nath Kovind urging him “to direct the Government to act against those responsible for foisting false cases” on the Bhima Koregaon-Elgaar Parishad case accused Father Stan Swamy, who died on Monday.

The 84-year old Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist died on Monday in a private hospital where he was shifted on directions of the Bombay High Court in May after his health began deteriorating.

Expressing deep anguish and outrage over Swamy’s death in custody, the opposition leaders, in the letter, said Swamy was jailed on “trumped up charges under the draconian UAPA and was sought to be linked with the Bhima Koregaon case.”

They further stated that Swamy was denied treatment for his various ailments including debilitating Parkinson’s, adding that even a sipper to drink liquids was made available to him in jail only after a nationwide protest.