‘Bhima Koregaon 16’ go on hunger strike to mark Stan Swamy’s death anniversary

Swamy, arrested in October 2020, was the oldest prisoner charged under the UAPA. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was denied bail on medical grounds

Mumbai: Fifteen of the sixteen accused in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence case, known as the BK-16, a moniker referring to the accused, went on a day-long hunger strike on Friday to mark the third death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, the sixteenth accused, who died in prison, in July 2021, at the age of 84, awaiting bail.

Mumbai, India - July 06, 2021: Members of The Bombay Catholic Sabha hold a memorial mass outside St. Peter's Church in Bandra in protest holding banners and lighting candles for the Indian rights activist and Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy, who was detained for nine months under Indian anti-terrorism law without trial, died on Monday ahead on his bail hearing, in Mumbai, India on Saturday, July 06, 2021. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Of the 15 accused, which includes activists, lawyers, scholars and artists, eight are still in jail, seven at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai and the lone woman Jyoti Jagtap who is lodged at the Arthur Road Jail in Byculla.

The case pertains to the Elgar Parishad conclave held in Pune on December 31, 2017, which according to the Pune police was funded by Maoists.

Police had alleged that the inflammatory speeches made there led to violence at the Bhima Koregaon war memorial in Pune the next day.

Swamy, arrested in October 2020, was the oldest prisoner charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, (UAPA). He suffered from Parkinson’s disease and was denied bail on medical grounds by the special court and National Investigative Agency (NIA). The Jesuit priest had to move the special court to request to use a straw and sipper in prison to drink water, as he couldn’t hold a glass because of Parkinson’s disease, but the jail authority had not done so despite repeated requests.

Amidst the further deterioration of his health, he was finally admitted into the Holy Family Hospital in Bandra on May 28, 2021, with the help of a Bombay high court order. He passed away two days after a cardiac arrest on July 3 of the same year.

Continuing the tradition of marking the anniversary of his martyrdom, the BK16 observed a hunger strike on Friday.

“The BK16 has observed the hunger strike on every death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, in protest of his death,” said their advocate, Suzan Abraham. Speaking about the progress on the case, she said that many of the 16 have received bail in the duration since. “But on the question of their innocence, we have to wait till the trial starts. For that, all the accused will have to be out on bail.”

A statement released by the BK-16 read, “This vision to reach out to various sections of society fighting for their lives and livelihoods, aggrieved by the policies of the state is what brought him under the crosshairs of the letter - a “thorn in the flesh” of the powers that be.”

“But till the moment he took his last breath Stan’s unwavering commitment to the cause of the poorest is evident as he dares the establishment. If defending the rights of Adivasis made him a ‘deshdrohi’ (anti-national), then so be it.”

Those who are currently in prison are Sudhir Dhawale, activist Rona Wilson, lawyer Surendra Gadling, Delhi University associate professor Hany Babu, and cultural artists and activists Sagar Gorkhe, Ramesh Gaichor, activist Mahesh Raut and Jyoti Jagtap.