November 17, 2020 2:08:46 pm
Father Stan Swamy is a Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist based in Jharkhand.
Seeking intervention by India’s National Commission for Human Rights (CNDH), the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled (NPRD) said on Tuesday Stan Swamy, who has been housed in Mumbai ‘s Taloja Central Jail since on October 9 after his arrest in the Elgar Parishad case. , you must be provided reasonable accommodations since you have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
In a letter to NHRC President HL Dattu, NPRD Secretary General Muralidharan said: “Stan Swamy, 83, is a person with Parkinson’s disease, which is a condition recognized as disabling according to the Disabled Persons Rights Act 2016. As According to various laws and conventions to which India is a signatory, it is mandatory for Stan Swamy to receive necessary age and disability adaptations, assistive aids including straws and sips as well as personal care assistance as needed. “
The letter further stated: “He was carrying straw and straw when he was arrested by the NIA. The NIA refused to return them, and jail authorities refuse to provide you with these inexpensive but essential items of assistance. You have trouble eating due to the tremors. You cannot bathe, bring water, or wash clothes on your own. Q. Stan also has a severe hearing problem and needs a hearing aid for both ears. You have had hernia surgery twice in the recent past and therefore may not be in a position to go through the grueling schedule as required in jail. He also used to take daily steam inhalations. “
Last week, a special court ordered the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to file a response to a request made by Swamy, who asked permission to be allowed a straw and a sip in jail. The NIA has been asked to respond to the statement by November 26.
Muralidharan claimed that the situation in which Swamy is being held violates his right to life. “We would like to underline that the current conditions in which Fr. Stan is detained violate his right to life, dignity, equality, protection against torture, cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, non-discrimination and the right to health ”.
The NPRD also asked the human rights body to transfer him immediately to a hospital if necessary. “We would ask the NHRC to send a team to inspect the Taloja and take stock of the accessibility of the prison facilities and also of the services provided to Fr. Stan Swamy. In the event that these arrangements cannot be made within the prison facilities and an accessible environment cannot be provided, we request that the Commission issue instructions to ensure that he can be immediately transferred to a hospital where adequate facilities are available. ” the letter said.
Swamy is one of the oldest defendants to be arrested on charges under the Prevention of Unlawful Activities Act. Last month, the court rejected his interim bail statement filed on medical grounds. The NIA had opposed the allegation stating that Swamy “under the guise of the current situation due to the global Covid-19 pandemic is trying to take undue advantage of the situation.”
Swamy, along with seven other people, was indicted by the NIA last month for his alleged role as a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) organization.
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