There is a pattern of institutional oppression behind the demise of Father Stan SwamyIt was a death his well-wishers feared would happen and one he had anticipated. A death that was simply allowed to happen despite being foretold by his deteriorating health in prison will weigh on the country’s collective conscience for long. Despite being a fit case for bail, he was denied bail, mainly due to the statutory bar on bail under the anti-terrorism law invoked against him. Much of the blame and accountability for his death should be on the NIA, which perversely opposed his release, and the court which could have granted interim bail weeks earlier. A good two months elapsed between the High Court seeking the NIA’s response to his bail plea on medical grounds and his death.

Source: The Hindu July 06, 2021 18:22 UTC