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2 years, 3 charge sheets & 16 arrests — Why Bhima Koregaon accused are still in jail

2 years, 3 charge sheets & 16 arrests — Why Bhima Koregaon accused are still in jail

The Print / by Apoorva Mandhani

Since 2018, stringent UAPA rules, SC’s Zahoor Watali order, NIA takeover and allegedly ‘inadmissible’ evidence has made sure that all accused remain in custody.
On 31 December 2017, a group of activists, political leaders and even retired judges came together at Shaniwar Wada in Pune.
Called the Elgar Parishad (Congress for Speaking Aloud), the organisers of this event included former Supreme Court judge, Justice P.B. Sawant, and former Bombay High Court judge, Justice B.G. Kolse-Patil. The event saw songs, street plays and speeches on various issues, including Dalit rights and criticism of the Narendra Modi government. 
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Father Swamy: Indian Jesuit priest-activist

Father Swamy: Indian Jesuit priest-activist

The Guardian / by Tony Afejuku

Very recently, I received the sad news of what is happening to a wonderful Jesuit priest who to boot is an activist, a solid defender of human rights in India that has since ceased to be the incredibly incredible India of my then years.
Its politicians especially of now have turned or better stated, are turning that mysteriously ancient country of civilisations into a Soviet/Russian Gulag where agents of the state carry out acts of terror against dissenters who they accuse of terrorism and its negative wonders of blemish.
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Yet again: Supreme Court refuses to send back Poet Varavara Rao to hospital!

Yet again: Supreme Court refuses to send back Poet Varavara Rao to hospital!

Statement by Release the Poet

This November 3rd Varavara Rao will turn 80. And coming November 17th it will be two years of him being taken to custody by the Pune Police for his alleged connection with Maoists in the fabricated Bhima Koregaon Case.

By now, we all are aware of his health conditions. Last July he was diagnosed with Covid-19 and was admitted to Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai. …

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Call to Dalits, minorities to join protest / Webinar report: Stand With Stan

Call to Dalits, minorities to join protest / Webinar report: Stand With Stan

Call to Dalits, minorities to join protest

28/10/2020

The Telegraph / by Animesh Bisoee

Representatives of Christian and rights organisations hint at urgent need for the convergence against the current ‘fascist’ forces.
Christian organisations and human right groups have called for Dalits, tribal and minorities to join hands with other concerned citizens and protest attempts by the central government to silence voices of dissent by misusing the anti-terror law UAPA.
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Bhima Koregaon Case: A Critical Appraisal: Our Call – Free them All

27/10/2020

Countercurrents / by Dr Prakash Louis

Background to Bhima Koregaon Event
The 1818 Battle of Koregaon is of importance for Dalits. On 1st January, 1818, 800 troops of the British Army, with large number of Mahars, Dalit Community of Maharashtra predominant among them, defeated a numerically superior force of the Peshwa Baji Rao II …
On 1st January, 2018, like every year, lakhs of Dalits poured into Bhima Koregaon. The commemoration has a record of being conducted peacefully and the village’s residents have a history of social harmony. But this year, tensions had begun to build in a neighbouring village over the question of which community had conducted the last rites of Maratha ruler Sambhaji – the Mahars or the Marathas.
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Webinar report: Stand With Stan

27/10/2020

Countercurrents / by Indian Christians for Democracy

A webinar was organised with major initiative of Indian Christians for Democracy on 25th October, Sunday, 2020 from 11.00 to 1.00 pm …
The objectives of the webinar were 1) Keep pressure on for the release of all falsely accused and arrested; 2) False accusation, detention and arrest becomes a debating point and the government gives up this practice; 3) Nation-wide demand for the repeal of UAPA.
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Asian bishops stand in solidarity with arrested Jesuit [read full statement]

Asian bishops stand in solidarity with arrested Jesuit [read full statement]

UCA News / by John Zaw, Mandalay

The Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) has said it stands in solidarity with Indian Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy and all who support the rights of indigenous people.
“It is with great shock and agony the FABC heard of the arrest of the 84-year-old Father Swamy and his incarceration and we are surprised at the charges brought against him,” Cardinal Charles Bo of Yangon, president of the FABC, said in a statement.
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Asian Bishops Call for Release of Fr. Stan Swamy

26/10/2020

ZENIT / by ZENIT Staff

The Federation of Asian Bishops Conference (FABC) has called for the release of Fr. Stan Swamy, who was arrested in his home in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand State in eastern India, on October 8th…

Following is the full letter
It is with great shock and agony, the FABC heard of the arrest of the 83-year-old Fr Stan Swamy and his incarceration. We are surprised at the charges brought against him. We stand in solidarity with Fr. Stan Swamy and all who support the rights of the indigenous people.
Read full statement


AICUF Andhra Pradesh, Visakhapatnam unit and Parish Pastoral council St. Peter’s Cathedral, Arch Diocese of Visakhapatnam has organized a candle light rally @ 19:30hrs on Sunday 25.10.2020 at Gnanapuram for Fr. Stan.

Father Stan Swamy’s Jesuit Associates Condemn ‘Fabricated’ Charges Against Him

Father Stan Swamy’s Jesuit Associates Condemn ‘Fabricated’ Charges Against Him

The Wire / by Abhish K. Bose

“The NIA knows that he was voicing views against the government and corporate groups, and hence he was framed in the case.”
Kottayam: The Jesuit congregation is hopeful that the case against 83-year-old priest Father Stan Swamy, a member of the Jamshedpur province of the Society of Jesus congregation, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), will be shattered in the court, as there is no evidence to establish that he was in some way connected with the violence against Dalits at Bhima Koregaon. The imprisoned priest’s close associate, Father Joseph Xavier, alleges that Swamy hasn’t visited Pune for the last 15 years.
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+++ Tweet by Indian Social Institute: On 23 Oct’20, ISIB UTC, Archdiocese of Bengaluru, PUCL-K, CRI, NGOs and CSOs jointly organized a program on Stand in Solidarity with Fr. Stan Swamy SJ.120 people participated representing various religious congregations, NGOs, CSOs, Teachers, Students and Activists. +++

PUCL and opposition political parties demand release of Stan Swamy and repeal of UAPA

PUCL and opposition political parties demand release of Stan Swamy and repeal of UAPA


+++ Read report of the virtual press conference organized by the PUCL / Watch the various video statements given during the press conference +++

PUCL and opposition political parties demand release of Father Stan Swamy and repeal of UAPA

22/10/2020

Frontline / by Anupama Katakam

A multi-party press conference organised by the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) condemned the arrest of Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist and social worker based in Ranchi, Jharkhand. Swamy is the latest victim of the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) mission to hunt down people reportedly linked to the Bhima Koregaon incident, which the agency says was orchestrated by Maoist groups…
Leaders from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren have demanded Swamy’s release and said a movement to repeal the archaic and dangerous Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), under which activists, intellectuals and lawyers have been arrested, must gain momentum.
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‘Today it was Stan Swamy, tomorrow it will be us’: Opposition leaders call for repeal of UAPA

21/10/2020

Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff

Hemant Soren, MPs Shashi Tharoor, Supriya Sule and Kanimozhi urged the people to speak up against the Centre’s attempts to ‘chip away at the rights of people’.
Opposition leaders on Wednesday expressed solidarity with 83-year-old Jesuit priest and human rights activist Stan Swamy, who has been detained under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence case along with several other activists.
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Opposition leaders condemn arrest of activist Stan Swamy, demand repeal of UAPA

21/10/2020

The New Indian Express / by Express News Service

Leaders from the Congress, Left and DMK slammed the arrest of octogenarian Stan Swamy over alleged links with the Bhima Koregaon case.
NEW DELHI: Leaders from across the political spectrum called for the repeal of UAPA and said there was an urgent need for Opposition parties to unite to fight the ruling party in order to protect the country’s constitutional values.
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Report and Videos of the PUCL Press Conference: The Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy Case

Report and Videos of the PUCL Press Conference: The Bhima Koregaon Conspiracy Case

Drawing by Arun Ferreira

By People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL)

Report of the Virtual Press Conference held on 21st October, 2020 organised by the PUCL

Opposition Leaders, Civil Society denounce arrest of Stan Swamy and other activists in Bhima Koregaon case;
Call for repeal of UAPA!

► The videos of speeches of speakers are available here
► The documents are available here

Introduction
PUCL organised a virtual Press Conference on 21st October, 2020 to condemn the illegal arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy of Jharkhand and 15 other activists in the Bhima Koregaon case. The Press Conference was to create a platform for different civil society groups and political parties to jointly condemn the brazen abuse of UAPA by the Central Government against dissenters and demand repeal of draconian anti-human rights laws like UAPA and anti-sedition law. The following is a summary of the speeches made by different speakers.
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Music videos: Wake Up Call – Bhima Koregaon / Stan Swamy – Not a Silent Spectator

Music videos: Wake Up Call – Bhima Koregaon / Stan Swamy – Not a Silent Spectator

By Bombay Jesuits

The not so justified proceedings of the Bhima Koregaon case have been highlighted in this song. The recent arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy in this case who claims that he has never been to Bhima Koregaon has caused an uproar in the society. The arrest of lawyers, poets, activists and the like, who question the authorities is a WAKE UP CALL to stand with them, to stand for freedom and to stand for justice.
Watch music video

Fr. Stan Swamy SJ – Not a Silent Spectator (Ekla Chalo Re)

By Bombay Jesuits

Fr. Stan Swamy SJ, who fought for the Adivasi rights in central India, has been arrested under UAPA by the NIA. He stood for the Adivasis even when many others dared not to. He spoke for them even when many chose to keep quiet. Living up to this prophetic calling Fr. Stan stands as a beacon for many religious and lay activists. At a time when he, along with others arrested in their fight for justice, are tried by various forces, we stand with them in solidarity and pride.
Watch music video