The death of an 84-year-old Indian christian priest, Father Stan Swamy, in prison custody has caused an outcry from top officials.
Father Swamy, who had once campaigned for tribal people’s rights, was arrested in 2020 on allegations that he had connections with a radical group that reportedly caused violence in Maharashtra state in 2018, DailyMail reported.
Upon his arrest, he was detained under an anti-terrorism law as was also denied bail.
Having suffered from Parkinson’s and COVID-19 while in prison, Swamy died on Monday in a Mumbai hospital.
Reacting to the death, A U.N. special rapporteur for human rights defenders, Mary Lawlor, had tweeted, “The news from India today is devastating. Human Rights Defender & Jesuit priest Fr Stan Swamy has died in custody, nine months after his arrest on false charges of terrorism,”
She also added that jailing human rights defenders is inexcusable.
However, the National Investigation Agency, which was against Swamy in the case has been silent on the matter. Even the federal home ministry and the foreign ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
A leader of the main opposition Congress party, Jairam Ramesh, also criticised the government for the death of the priest whom he described as “a passionate crusader for social justice”.
“Who in the apparatus of the Indian state will be held responsible for this tragedy? Make no mistake – it is the Indian state that killed Fr. Stan Swamy,” Ramesh said.
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