New Delhi: Stan Swmy, an 84-year-old priest-activist who is in jail arrested under UAPA in the Elgar Parishad case last year, died today. He was fighting for a bail on health grounds. The activist had been on ventilator since yesterday. He was on treatment at Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai following a court order on May 28.
The Jesuit priest had spent last leg of his life in a prison near Mumbai. He has been fighting legal battles for things like a straw and a sipper as he was suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
In a late night scoop, he was arrested from his home in October by National Investigation Agency (NIA) which opposed his bail request in court saying that he was feigning ill health although he has no medical problem. NIA had alleged that Stan Swamy is a Maoist who plotted unrest in the society. Swamy told the court that he would die soon if an interim bail is not granted to him and his health has been fast deteriorating. He challenged the difficult rules imposed under UAPA (Unlawful PActivities Prevention Act). Swamy is one of the 16 persons jailed in the name of UAPA. They include Vara Vara Rao, a poet from Hyderabad, and advocates, social activists and academics. All of them had complained that there are no health facilities at the jail but to no avail.
