News Analysis India

Tag: Bhima Koregaon case

  • Hacker planted evidence on Stan Swamy’s computer: Report

    By Online Desk

    The United States-based digital forensics firm, Arsenal Consulting has revealed that a hacker planted evidence on a device owned by tribal rights activist Stan Swamy who died while under judicial custody, several months after his arrest in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Last year, the firm revealed that two others arrested in connection with the case, Surendra Gadling and Rona Wilson were also victims who had evidence planted in their device by a hacker. The revelation relating to Surendra Gadling came a day after the death of Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021, while the report on Rona Wilson came several months prior to that.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His requests for bail on medical grounds was rejected multiple times. Eventually, his health condition deteriorated and he died in a hospital, while in judicial custody, on July 5, 2021.

    According to The Washington Post, Massachusetts-based firm Arsenal Consulting has released the latest analysis on Stan Swamy.

    NEW: Forensic analysis by @ArsenalArmed concludes that Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old priest who died after a jail stint was hacked and evidence planted on device. He is the third defendant in #BhimaKoregaon case to have been hacked. https://t.co/B2htQ20SZ1
    — Niha Masih (@NihaMasih) December 13, 2022
    Arsenal Consulting said that Swamy had been targeted by an extensive malware campaign for nearly five years till his device was seized by the police in June 2019. In that duration, the hacker had complete control over the activist’s computer, and placed dozens of files in a hidden folder without his knowledge, according to The Washington Post.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court extends house arrest of Gautam Navlakha

    It may be recalled that a day after the activist Father Stan Swamy’s death on July 5, 2021, Arsenal Consulting claimed that evidence was planted on the computer of Surendra Gadling. The firm claimed that the malware that targeted Gadling’s computer via emails also had several other Bhima-Koregaon accused, including Swamy and Sudha Bhardwaj copied on the mails.

    Stan Swamy and others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case under UAPA for alleged links with banned Maoists.

    The United States-based digital forensics firm, Arsenal Consulting has revealed that a hacker planted evidence on a device owned by tribal rights activist Stan Swamy who died while under judicial custody, several months after his arrest in the Bhima-Koregaon case. Last year, the firm revealed that two others arrested in connection with the case, Surendra Gadling and Rona Wilson were also victims who had evidence planted in their device by a hacker. The revelation relating to Surendra Gadling came a day after the death of Stan Swamy on July 5, 2021, while the report on Rona Wilson came several months prior to that.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The 84-year-old Jesuit priest Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson’s disease. His requests for bail on medical grounds was rejected multiple times. Eventually, his health condition deteriorated and he died in a hospital, while in judicial custody, on July 5, 2021.

    According to The Washington Post, Massachusetts-based firm Arsenal Consulting has released the latest analysis on Stan Swamy.

    NEW: Forensic analysis by @ArsenalArmed concludes that Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old priest who died after a jail stint was hacked and evidence planted on device. He is the third defendant in #BhimaKoregaon case to have been hacked. https://t.co/B2htQ20SZ1
    — Niha Masih (@NihaMasih) December 13, 2022
    Arsenal Consulting said that Swamy had been targeted by an extensive malware campaign for nearly five years till his device was seized by the police in June 2019. In that duration, the hacker had complete control over the activist’s computer, and placed dozens of files in a hidden folder without his knowledge, according to The Washington Post.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Supreme Court extends house arrest of Gautam Navlakha

    It may be recalled that a day after the activist Father Stan Swamy’s death on July 5, 2021, Arsenal Consulting claimed that evidence was planted on the computer of Surendra Gadling. The firm claimed that the malware that targeted Gadling’s computer via emails also had several other Bhima-Koregaon accused, including Swamy and Sudha Bhardwaj copied on the mails.

    Stan Swamy and others were arrested in the Bhima Koregaon case under UAPA for alleged links with banned Maoists.

  • Treatment, straw, books… things Bhima Koregaon accused have asked courts for

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The Supreme Court order permitting jailed activist Gautam Navlakha to be kept under house arrest for a month has brought to the fore several applications filed by the accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case lamenting lack of facilities in jail and denial of access to the same.

    Besides seeking medical treatment, the accused in the case have time and again approached courts for permission to get books, chairs, drinking straws, spectacles and mosquito nets inside the prison have asked courts for.

    In November 2020, accused Stan Swamy had filed an application before a special court here seeking straw and sipper at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai where he is lodged.

    In his plea, Swamy had said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized it from him and he was unable to lift a glass due to Parkinson’s disease.

    The NIA, in its reply, however, said it had not seized any straw and sipper glass from Swamy.

    Later, jail authorities provided him with a straw and sipper.

    Swamy died in July 2021 at a private hospital here while he was in judicial custody.

    In December 2020, Navlakha’s partner Sahba Husain said the former’s spectacles were stolen in jail and when his family sent him a new pair, the jail authorities refused to accept them.

    The high court had later criticised the jail authorities and said all these are human considerations.

    The jail authorities later accepted the pair of spectacles sent by Navlakha’s family.

    READ HERE | Relief for Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha as SC paves way for house arrest

    In 2020, lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj had filed an application before the special court claiming she was not being allowed access to books.

    She said when books were sent for her, the Superintendent at Mumbai’s Byculla Jail, where she was lodged, had refused to receive them for her.

    The special court had allowed her plea to have access to five books per month from outside prison, while directing the jail superintendent to “carefully examine” the books to ensure they did not contain any “objectionable material”.

    The court had also said beyond the prescribed parameters to deem a book’s content “objectionable”, including whether it is vulgar, obscene or preaches violence, a superintendent did not have powers to withhold a book from a detainee.

    In April this year, Navlakha’s lawyer Yug Chaudhary had informed the Bombay High Court that prison authorities had refused to hand over a book by English author P G Wodehouse.

    During the arguments in the high court on Navlakha’s plea seeking to be kept under house arrest, Chaudhary had said the condition of the prison was very poor.

    The HC had then said the prison authorities’ action refusing Wodehouse’s book was comical.

    Navlakha and co-accused Sagar Gorkhe had filed applications in the special court seeking permission to have mosquito nets inside the prison.

    This was opposed by Taloja jail authorities citing security concerns.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The court did not allow the pleas of Navlakha and Gorkhe, but directed the jail superintendent to take “all necessary precautions against mosquitoes, conduct fumigation, allow inmates to use repellents, ointments and incense sticks”.

    Navlakha had also filed another application in the special court seeking permission to make phone/video calls to his kin.

    The prison authorities had contended that the facility started during the COVID-19 pandemic, but could not be permitted to undertrials on a regular basis.

    The court rejected Navlakha’s plea, following which he filed an appeal in the high court.

    Surendra Gadling, another accused in the case, had filed an application seeking a chair and table citing medical ailments, claiming he was unable to squat on the floor for long without developing pain in his back and neck.

    ALSO READ | SC grants bail to Bhima Koregaon case accused Varavara Rao on medical grounds

    Gadling had said he needed the table and chair as he had to study a lot since he was representing himself in the case.

    Prison authorities had opposed this plea as well citing security risks.

    The court agreed with Gadling’s contention, observing that the allegations he has to defend himself against are serious and there are a large number of documents he needs to study for hours together.

    Gadling was allowed a chair and table at his cost.

    Gadling had also sought permission to have his own shaving kit, which was opposed by the prison authorities.

    The court agreed with the prison authorities that it would pose danger and rejected the application.

    MUMBAI: The Supreme Court order permitting jailed activist Gautam Navlakha to be kept under house arrest for a month has brought to the fore several applications filed by the accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case lamenting lack of facilities in jail and denial of access to the same.

    Besides seeking medical treatment, the accused in the case have time and again approached courts for permission to get books, chairs, drinking straws, spectacles and mosquito nets inside the prison have asked courts for.

    In November 2020, accused Stan Swamy had filed an application before a special court here seeking straw and sipper at the Taloja jail in Navi Mumbai where he is lodged.

    In his plea, Swamy had said the National Investigation Agency (NIA) seized it from him and he was unable to lift a glass due to Parkinson’s disease.

    The NIA, in its reply, however, said it had not seized any straw and sipper glass from Swamy.

    Later, jail authorities provided him with a straw and sipper.

    Swamy died in July 2021 at a private hospital here while he was in judicial custody.

    In December 2020, Navlakha’s partner Sahba Husain said the former’s spectacles were stolen in jail and when his family sent him a new pair, the jail authorities refused to accept them.

    The high court had later criticised the jail authorities and said all these are human considerations.

    The jail authorities later accepted the pair of spectacles sent by Navlakha’s family.

    READ HERE | Relief for Bhima Koregaon accused Gautam Navlakha as SC paves way for house arrest

    In 2020, lawyer-activist Sudha Bharadwaj had filed an application before the special court claiming she was not being allowed access to books.

    She said when books were sent for her, the Superintendent at Mumbai’s Byculla Jail, where she was lodged, had refused to receive them for her.

    The special court had allowed her plea to have access to five books per month from outside prison, while directing the jail superintendent to “carefully examine” the books to ensure they did not contain any “objectionable material”.

    The court had also said beyond the prescribed parameters to deem a book’s content “objectionable”, including whether it is vulgar, obscene or preaches violence, a superintendent did not have powers to withhold a book from a detainee.

    In April this year, Navlakha’s lawyer Yug Chaudhary had informed the Bombay High Court that prison authorities had refused to hand over a book by English author P G Wodehouse.

    During the arguments in the high court on Navlakha’s plea seeking to be kept under house arrest, Chaudhary had said the condition of the prison was very poor.

    The HC had then said the prison authorities’ action refusing Wodehouse’s book was comical.

    Navlakha and co-accused Sagar Gorkhe had filed applications in the special court seeking permission to have mosquito nets inside the prison.

    This was opposed by Taloja jail authorities citing security concerns.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Pune cop planted evidence in devices of jailed activists, says report

    The court did not allow the pleas of Navlakha and Gorkhe, but directed the jail superintendent to take “all necessary precautions against mosquitoes, conduct fumigation, allow inmates to use repellents, ointments and incense sticks”.

    Navlakha had also filed another application in the special court seeking permission to make phone/video calls to his kin.

    The prison authorities had contended that the facility started during the COVID-19 pandemic, but could not be permitted to undertrials on a regular basis.

    The court rejected Navlakha’s plea, following which he filed an appeal in the high court.

    Surendra Gadling, another accused in the case, had filed an application seeking a chair and table citing medical ailments, claiming he was unable to squat on the floor for long without developing pain in his back and neck.

    ALSO READ | SC grants bail to Bhima Koregaon case accused Varavara Rao on medical grounds

    Gadling had said he needed the table and chair as he had to study a lot since he was representing himself in the case.

    Prison authorities had opposed this plea as well citing security risks.

    The court agreed with Gadling’s contention, observing that the allegations he has to defend himself against are serious and there are a large number of documents he needs to study for hours together.

    Gadling was allowed a chair and table at his cost.

    Gadling had also sought permission to have his own shaving kit, which was opposed by the prison authorities.

    The court agreed with the prison authorities that it would pose danger and rejected the application.

  • Activist Rona Wilson targeted by hackers: Washington Post report

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Activist Rona Wilson, charged with terrorism and lodged in jail in Bhima Koregaon case, was targeted by hackers, including one called ModifiedElephant, whose activity “aligns with Indian state interests”, The Washington Post said in a report citing investigations by a California-based cybersecurity firm. 

    Last year, cybersecurity experts had revealed that hackers planted incriminating evidence in Wilson’s laptop.

    Now, a year later, the American newspaper cites SentinelOne to say that Wilson was targeted by two separate groups, including one group “that has been linked to widely documented cyberespionage campaigns against… India’s top foreign adversaries”.

    It further says that the other group, “responsible for planting documents on the activist’s device, dubbed ModifiedElephant by SentinelOne, shared hacking infrastructure with an attacker that researchers have long suspected of being involved in state-sanctioned political espionage”.

    The Post says that the findings published by SentinelOne showed that a group of dissidents have been under surveillance for nearly a decade now. The findings also offer “new clues about the connections between groups that cybersecurity experts have observed targeting foreign adversaries and domestic critics”.

    The report, however, did not identify the people who carried out the attacks or the entity that ordered them but notes that “ModifiedElephant’s activity aligns with Indian state interests”. Principal researcher and co-author of the SentinelOne report Juan Andres Guerrero-Saade said “two separate groups going after the same target suggests they were tasked with the job by the same entity”, the daily said.

    According to SentinelOne researchers, Wilson received dozens of emails that contained malware designed to infiltrate his computer.

    The Washington Post had earlier reported that another forensic analysis found that years before his arrest, an unknown hacker compromised Wilson’s computer and planted at least 32 documents, including a letter discussing a plot to assassinate the PM that authorities have cited as evidence.

    Three independent experts reviewed the SentinelOne report at The Post’s request and concurred with its conclusions.

  • Bhima Koregaon: Bombay HC grants bail to Surendra Gadling to attend mother’s death anniversary

    By Express News Service
    MUMBAI: The Bombay High court on Friday granted nine days temporary bail to Bhima Koregaon accused Advocate Surendra Gadling from August 13 to 21 to attend his mother’s death anniversary.

    A division bench headed by SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar pronounced this order.

    Gadling was arrested three years ago for his alleged links with maoists. He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Gadling had approached the High Court in appeal under section 21 (4) of the NIA act challenging the Supreme Court order of refusing him emergency bail after his mother demise due to Covid last year.

    Advocate Indira Jaisingh appearing for Gadling submitted that since family members were hospitalized with Covid 19 or under home isolations in August 2020, his mother funeral rites — cooling of ashes, rituals and condolence meeting remained pending.

    However, the family had decided to perform these pending rituals on her deaths anniversary on August 15, 2021. She demanded bail for her client on humanitarian grounds and requested to correct the error.

    However, NIA called this demand a gross abuse of the process of law and courts precious time.

    Earlier, the NIA court had rejected the Gadling demand of bail to perform the rituals saying the time has already passed so he would not be required to perform the rituals or funeral rites.

  • NIA, NHRC, Modi govt and judicial system executed plot against Stan Swamy: Maoists

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: The Maoists on Tuesday alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) framed Stan Swamy in a fake case and demanded immediate release of all the activists lodged in jail in the Bhima Koregaon case. 

    The CPI (Maoists) also demanded the withdrawal of all the cases filed against them and appealed to the writers, artists, singers, lawyers, and democratic intelligentsia to support them.

    According to a press note released by the spokesperson of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee, Stan Swamy was framed by NIA in the Bhima Koregoan case. “CPI (Maoist) announces that the death of Stan Swamy was a conspiracy. It has also been opined by the activists, intellectuals, democratic intelligentsia, human rights activists, and chief ministers of various states such as Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. Undoubtedly, the conspiracy has been executed by the NIA, NHRC, BJP Government at the centre and the judiciary as well,” stated the press note issued by CPI (Maoists). 

    Giving voice to the demand of immediate release of all the social and political activists and withdrawal of all cases related to the Bhima Koregaon case without any conditions would be a true tribute to Stan Swamy, it added.

    CPI (Maoist) also made an appeal to the writers, artists, singers, lawyers, and democratic intelligentsia to come forward for defeating the “anti-people” forces in the country, which is being used for denying the basic rights of the common people.

    Stan Swamy, 84, who worked for the rights of Adivasis and other underprivileged people in Jharkhand for more than three decades, passed away at a Mumbai Hospital on July 5. 

    Swamy had been languishing in jail since October 8, last year after NIA arrested him in the Bhima Koregaon case — the violence which erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle on January 1 in 2018, leaving one dead and several others injured. People close to Swamy, however, termed his death as an “institutional murder” saying that he was arrested on fake charges only to be killed in jail.

  • Imprisoned in Elgar Parishad case, father Stan Swamy passes away at 84; Bombay HC expresses shock

    By Online Desk
    Tribal activist Father Stan Swamy, who was imprisoned in the Bhima Koregaon case, passed away on Monday ahead of his bail hearing in the Bombay High Court.

    The bench, comprising Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar, expressed shock over the news and said it was at a loss of words and hoped Swamy’s soul would rest in peace. Meanwhile, the Jesuit Provincial of India released a statement expressing grief over Swamy’s death. It said the priest had worked all his life for the “Adivasis, Dalits, and marginalised communities”.

    Senior counsel Desai told the HC that he had no grievances against the HC and the private hospital where Swamy was treated, but he could not say the same for the National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is conducting a probe into the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, and the state prison authorities.

    Desai claimed the NIA had been negligent in providing timely and adequate medical aid to Swamy, and urged the HC to initiate a judicial inquiry into the circumstances that led to the undertrial activist’s death.

    He said Swamy was taken to the state-run JJ Hospital 10 days before his admission to the Holy Family Hospital (on May 29 this year). But, he was not tested for COVID-19 at the J J Hospital, he said. Swamy’s report came out positive for coronavirus when tested at the private hospital, the lawyer said.

    About the probe agency, Desai said, “The NIA did not seek Swamy’s custody even for a single day, but kept opposing his bail pleas.”

    He also pointed out that since Swamy died while being in custody, the state authorities were mandated to conduct a postmortem in accordance with guidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.

    While the HC did not pass any orders initiating a judicial inquiry, it recorded in its order that the amended section 176 (1A) of the CrPC mandated judicial inquiry into every case of death in custody. If the same provision was applicable in the present case, the state and prosecuting agencies would have to comply with the same, the HC said.

    The court directed that the state authorities complete all formalities and hand over Swamy’s body to his associate, Father Frazer Mascarenhas. The directive came after Desai told the court that while normally a dead body was handed over to one’s family, Swamy was a priest and had no family. “The Jesuits were his only family,” he said.

    The police had claimed the conclave was organised by people with alleged Maoist links.

    Replugging my piece with immense pain. Tribute to Stan Swamy: https://t.co/8aJQfYFgGA
    — Kaleeswaram Raj (@KaleeswaramR) July 5, 2021

     The HC also recorded in its order that Swamy’s funeral will be held in Mumbai in accordance with the COVID-19 protocols applicable in the city. The bench was presiding over an urgent application moved by Desai to hear Swamy’s medical bail plea.

    The bench began the hearing asking for Swamy’s latest medical reports from the hospital authorities, when the NIA intervened objecting to the urgent mentioning. Desai then intervened, urging the HC to let Dr D’souza address the court for “just a minute”.

    The court was then told that Swamy suffered a cardiac arrest on July 4 early morning. “He was put on a ventilator then, but he never regained consciousness following the cardiac arrest. He was finally declared dead this afternoon,” Dr Dsouza told the court.

    The doctor said Swamy recovered from COVID-19, but had lung complications, and was also a known case of Parkinson’s disease. “A possible combination of these led to septicemia,” Dr D’Souza told the HC.

    “We record with a heavy heart that Dr Ian Dsouza, medical director of the Holy Family Hospital, informed us that Stan Swamy passed away at 1:24 pm today. Dr.D’souza, we are sorry to know that despite your best efforts, Fr.Swamy is no longer with us. Mr Desai, accept our condolences. May his soul rest in peace. We are all very shocked. What to now say further? We appreciate your efforts. You made him (Swamy) agree to get admitted to the hospital and he got the best medical treatment. But ,unfortunately, he could not survive,” the bench said.

    Swamy was earlier lodged in the Taloja prison hospital in neighbouring Navi Mumbai as an undertrial since his arrest in October 2020. Following the HC’s orders, Swamy was shifted to the Holy Family Hospital here in May this year, and the cost of his treatment at the medical facility was being borne by his associates.

    At that time, a visibly frail Swamy had appeared before a vacation bench of the court via video conferencing and urged it to grant him interim bail. He had said that his health declined steadily while in the Taloja prison.

    He had refused admission to the J J Hospital and had said if things continued the way they were, he “would die soon”. “I would rather suffer, possibly die very soon, if this were to go on. My deterioration is more powerful than the small tablets that the JJ Hospital gives me,” he had said.

    Swamy had said he wished to go to Ranchi to be among his people. He had approached the HC earlier this year, challenging the order of a special court from March last year that denied him bail both on merits and medical grounds.

    He had told the HC that he suffered from advanced stages of the Parkinson’s disease and various other ailments. However, the NIA had filed an affidavit in the HC last month opposing his bail plea. The central agency had said Swamy was a Maoist and part of a conspiracy to create unrest in the country.

    It had said there was no “conclusive proof” of his medical ailments.

    Last Friday, Swamy, through advocate Desai, filed a fresh plea challenging section 45D(3) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), that imposes stringent bar on grant of bail to an accused charged under the Act.

    The section, Swamy had said, created insurmountable obstacles for an accused to be granted bail and was thus, violative of one’s fundamental right to life and liberty. His medical bail plea and the fresh plea were listed for hearing last Friday, but could not be taken up by the HC due to “paucity of time”.

    The court had at the time adjourned the hearing to July 6, and extended Swamy’s stay at the private hospital till then. On Monday, it acceded to Desai’s request for not disposing of the pleas. The HC said it will hear Desai’s submissions on the UAPA plea on July 13.

    The Elgar Parishad case is related to inflammatory speeches made at a conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which, the police claimed, triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial located on the outskirts of the western Maharashtra city.

    Reactions on twitter:

    Deeply saddened by the passing of Fr. Stan Swamy. Unjustifiable that a man who fought all through his life for our society’s most downtrodden, had to die in custody. Such travesty of justice should have no place in our democracy. Heartfelt condolences!
    — Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) July 5, 2021

    Sad to learn of Fr #StanSwamy’s passing. A humanitarian & man of God whom our government could not treat with humanity. Deeply saddened as an Indian. RIP. https://t.co/aOB6T0iHU9
    — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 5, 2021

    Shocked to learn about the demise of Father Stan Swamy. He dedicated his life working for tribal rights. I had strongly opposed his arrest & incarceration. The Union Govt should be answerable for absolute apathy & non provision of timely medical services, leading to his death.
    — Hemant Soren (@HemantSorenJMM) July 5, 2021

    Heartfelt condolences on the passing of Father Stan Swamy.He deserved justice and humaneness.
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 5, 2021

    (With inputs from PTI)

  • Father Stan Swamy, imprisoned in Elgar Parishad case, passes away at 84

    By Online Desk
    Tribal activist Father Stan Swamy, who was imprisoned in the Bhima Koregaon case, passed away on Monday ahead of his bail hearing in the Bombay High Court.

    The 84-year-old had approached the Bombay High Court seeking bail on medical grounds.

    The NIA had opposed his application for bail.

    Following a HC order, Father Stan was transferred from the Taloja Central Jail in Mumbai to a private hospital in May for treatment during the pendency of his bail plea.

    While undergoing treatment, he had tested positive for COVID-19. On Sunday night, he was put on ventilator support after his health deteriorated. 

    The NIA arrested Swamy on October 8 last year, in a case related to the violence which erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle on January 1 in 2018, leaving one dead and several others injured.

  • Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha demands immediate bail for ailing Stan Swamy arrested in Elgar case

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: Looking at the critical health conditions of Father Stan Swamy, the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha (JJM), a network of several people’s organisations and activists, on Sunday demanded immediate bail and all other necessary medical and facilities for him.

    The network also demanded that Swamy should be released and sent back to Jharkhand as soon as possible as denying bail to an elderly and ailing person, with limited mobility and no history of violence against others, is beyond comprehension.

    The NIA arrested Swamy in Bhima Koregaon case on October 8, last year, in a case related to the violence which erupted at an event to mark 100 years of the Bhima-Koregaon battle on January 1 in 2018, leaving one dead and several others injured.

    The JJM in a statement, said that 84-year old Father Stan Swamy’s health has deteriorated and he has been put on a ventilator at the Holy Family hospital.

    “Swamy’s situation is said to be critical. The NIA and central government are solely responsible for the sufferings of this elderly person and the current state of affair. The NIA court also played its role by denying him a bail on both medical grounds and merit and assurances of the Maharashtra government regarding support for Stan Swamy are yet to be seen,” stated the release issued by JJM.

    Since early May, Stan was keeping unwell at Taloja jail as he had fever, cough, extreme weakness and a running stomach, it added. The statement further added that without an iota of evidence against Swamy in the case, he has been languishing in the jail and is now battling for his life.

    Also, denying bail to an elderly and ailing person, with limited mobility and no history of violence against others, is beyond comprehension, it said.

    “Moreover, the arsenal report, prepared on the basis of electronic evidences collected by the NIA, has exposed how fake documents were planted into the computers of the accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. Stan himself clearly told the NIA that some so-called extracts allegedly taken from his computer were fabricated and that he disowned them,” stated the statement released by JJM.

    Adivasis, Gram Sabhas, civil society, several political leaders and parties, and Chief Minister Hemant Soren himself have condemned Stan’s arrest and expressed support and solidarity with him, it said.

    The statement further stated, “Had the investigating agencies and the court taken a humanitarian approach, Stan would not have to go through this suffering as he is fighting for his life, while the central government continues to look away.”

    “Therefore, JJM demands all necessary medical and specialised treatment for Stan Swamy. It further demands that the High Court immediately grants him bail to him and ensure that he is sent back to Jharkhand as soon as possible,” stated the statement.

  • Bhima Koregaon case: Bombay HC summons hospital dean on Hany Babu’s plea for medical aid

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Delhi University’s associate professor Hany Babu, an accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case, moved the Bombay High Court on Wednesday seeking medical aid for an eye infection which he developed after contracting COVID-19.

    Babu’s counsel senior advocate Yug Chaudhry approached a vacation bench comprising Justices S J Kathawalla and S P Tavade, seeking an urgent hearing on the ground that Babu, who tested positive for coronavirus last week, had also developed an eye infection due to black fungus.

    Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is a rare but serious infection, which has been found in several COVID-19 patients.

    Babu had been admitted to the state-run GT Hospital here and was being treated for COVID-19, but not for the eye infection.

    ALSO READ | Bhima Koregaon case: Accused professor Hany Babu tests positive for COVID-19

    “Hany Babu is suffering from eye infection due to the black fungus. For nine days he suffered in jail,” advocate Chaudhry told the HC.

    “At the moment, he is in the GT Hospital. He is being treated only for COVID-19 and not the eye infection. He may lose his eye sight. He is an academician,” he said.

    The bench then directed the GT Hospital’s dean to remain present before the court via video-conferencing at 3 pm on Wednesday.

    Babu, 55, who was arrested in July last year, was admitted to the government-run J J Hospital last week and later moved to the GT Hospital.

    As per his family and lawyer, Babu developed an acute eye infection on May 3, and is yet to receive appropriate medical care.

    Last week, Babu’s wife Jenny Rowena, said in a press conference that his family was struggling to get information from prison authorities and the NIA, which is conducting a probe into the case, on his health condition.

    Babu was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in July 2020.

    The Elgar Parishad case relates to alleged inflammatory speeches made at a conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which the police claimed triggered violence the next day near the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial in the district.

    The Pune police claimed the conclave was backed by Maoists.

    The case was later taken over by the NIA.

    Several other activists, including Sudha Bharadwaj and Varavara Rao, had been arrested in the case.

  • Bhima Koregaon case: Accused professor Hany Babu tests positive for COVID-19

    By Express News Service
    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Hany Babu, the jailed Delhi University professor, has been tested positive for COVID-19.  The professor was already suffering from an acute eye infection and his health condition has worsened with the COVID infection, according to his wife Jenny Rowena.

    Hany Babu is being treated at the JJ Hospital, Mumbai, now. His wife has appealed to the authorities to shift him to a multi-speciality hospital where treatment for both his ailments can be given. Hany Babu is an undertrial prisoner in the Bhima Koregaon case. He was arrested in July 2020 and has been housed at the Taloja jail in Mumbai since then.

    “Hany has little or no vision in his left eye due to the swelling, which has spread to the cheek, ear and forehead compromising other vital organs as well. It poses a significant risk to his life if it spreads to the brain,” said a press statement issued by his wife.

    It was only after persistent efforts by Hany’s lawyer Payoshi Roy that Hany was taken to JJ Hospital on May 12. On May 13, Jenny Rowena received a phone call from Taloja Prison and was informed that Hany had been admitted at JJ Hospital.