These Are The 6 UAPA Prisoners Whom I Know As Victims Of Institutional Murder
These six Political Prisoners incarcerated under UA(P)A were murdered institutionally by the state in custody through intentional medical crime. The victims include a priest, two Adivasis including a woman, a Kashmiri, Journalist and a Muslim student. The political identity of Comrades, Swapan Dasgupta, Kanchan Nannaware and Pandu Narote and the religious identity of Fr. Stan Swamy, Muhammad Ameen and Altaf Ahmed Shah match with the internal enemies of India ( Muslim, Christians and Communists) prescribed by RSS supremo, MS Golwalkar. The lathis, bullets, draconian laws and the noose used for hanging in Brahmanic Hindutva India are designed only against Kashmiris, North East separatists, depressed caste and class people especially the Muslims, Adivasis, Dalits and other religious minorities and against the communists who works for the above mentioned marginalised groups. The Youngest victim is 27 years old and the oldest one is 84 years old.
1. Swapan Dasgupta
Editor of Bangla People’s March, Comrade Swapan Dasgupta was arrested on 06 October 2009 under UA(P)A by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s CPI(M) government’s police. He was kept in the Police station for 28 days and was subjected to mental torture and continuous interrogation without any break. Comrade who was 60 years old at that time was forced to sleep on the cold floor without any mat or blanket in the cold weather despite being informed about being an asthma patient. On 17th December, he was admitted to SSKM hospital with asthma and respiratory troubles and doctors also confirmed that he was suffering from leprosy and blood cancer. The hospital authorities blamed jail authorities and the state government for negligence as he was not provided with the necessary medical attention including timely blood transfusions. His condition deteriorated and was shifted to ICU on January 30 and was kept on a ventilator. He died in custody on February 2 2010 at the age of 61 making him the first UA(P)A political prisoner to be killed by the state.
2. Kanchan Nannaware
38-year-old Comrade Kanchan Nannaware who had a hole in her heart when she was 7 or 8 years old was arrested along with her husband Comrade Arun Bhelke by ATS in September 2014 after being accused as a member of CPI(Maoist). Kanchan who belongs to the Adivasi community was booked in 9 cases and got acquitted in 6 cases. She had undergone two heart operations while in jail and her lungs and kidneys were also infected. Her appeal for bail on medical grounds was rejected by the sessions court. Her husband was not informed about her last brain surgery and his consent was not even sought. The surgery which took place on January 16 2021 led to further complications and she suffered a cardiac failure and a blood clot in the brain resulting in her death. She was an under-trial prisoner in the remaining 3 cases when she was killed due to medical crime on January 24 2021.
3. Fr. Stan Swamy
Fr. Stan Swamy is a Jesuit priest who believed in Liberation theology. He led the Adivasis in Jharkhand who were victims of State terror and corporates. Stan who was arrested under UA(P)A in the Bhima Koregaon Case was a vocal critic against UA(P)A and submitted a study revealing that about 97 per cent of the surveyed undertrial Adivasi prisoners in jail were falsely accused of being Maoists. He was arrested on October 8 2020 in the Bhima Koregaon case and his health fell in jail because of the medical negligence, and inhumane attitude of the Jail authorities.
He was also suffering from Parkinson’s disease and had requested bail on medical grounds, but got rejected multiple times. His health condition didn’t even allow him to hold a cup of water to drink. Stan Swamy contracted Covid from jail and was denied medical care for over ten days. He was hospitalized on May 30 and was put on a ventilator on 4-07-2021. 84-year-old Stan who was murdered on 5-07-2021 is the oldest victim of UA(P)A in India.
4. Pandu Narote
33-year-old Pandu Narote is an Adivasi youth convicted along with Comrade GN Saibaba and 4 others under UA(P)A in the Gadchiroli case. He was arrested on 22 August 2013 after being accused of being a courier for CPI(Maoist), for having an association with Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF) and for waging war against India. He died on 25 August 2022 from swine flu. But his death was caused by delayed treatment, medical negligence and lack of interest by the Jail authorities. His family and lawyer were not informed about his deteriorating health condition and he was not shifted to ICU.
5. Muhammad Ameen
27-year-old Malayali Student Muhammad Ameen who was arrested in 2021 at Delhi by NIA in Delhi under UA(P)A after being accused as part of IS was killed in custody on October 8 2022. Jail authorities informed Ameen’s family that he was taken to the hospital for headache and vomiting.
6. Altaf Ahmed Shah
66-year-old Kashmir Political prisoner, Altaf Ahmed Shah who was jailed in Tihar since 2017 by NIA in an alleged terror case under UA(P)A died on 11 October 2022 at AIIMS, Delhi. Altaf was suffering from Renal Cancer and other ailments. He was not provided timely medical care and was initially taken to a hospital without an Oncology department. Initially, the jail authorities even mislead the court by stating that Altaf only had diabetes and hypertension. His daughter and journalist, Ruwa Shah told the Delhi High court ordered Altaf to be admitted at AIIMS on October 1, but the authorities made it late.
These are the only 6 UA(P)A prisoners whom I know as victims of Institutional Murder. The government is trying to increase the count. There are a lot of under-trials and convicted political prisoners suffering from serious medical conditions in jail who are purposefully not being provided with any kind of treatment and are not granted bail even on medical grounds.
90 per cent disabled wheelchair-bound Prof GN Saibaba who is also suffering from other serious life-threatening ailments, Gautam Navlakha suffering from Colon Cancer and Shoma Sen suffering from osteoarthritis, glaucoma and high blood pressure are among the political prisoners whose lives are threatened in jail due to lack of care. The condition of political prisoners lodged in High-Security prisons, Kerala is also not different. Prisoners lodged there are constantly complaining against the jail authorities and Jail doctors for not providing proper medical treatment and for medical negligence.
The jails are being turned into gallows when UA(P)A are slapped on dissenters by parliamentary revisionist -CPI(M), reactionary -Congress and fascist party BJP! UA(P)A which is jail without bail and trial is the crime committed by the state in the pretence of law. It’s the new Capital punishment masquerading as an anti-terror law. Using UA(P)A itself is misusing and misusing will only be there when UA(P)A is used. Understanding the nature of the state will make us understand the purpose of bringing a draconian law like UA(P)A which resembles the Rowlatt act in British India. UA(P)A is for protecting the interests of Hindu Rashtra and Capitalism!
Protest against UA(P)A!
Scrap Neo Rowlatt act of India, UA(P)A!
Release all Political Prisoners!
Smash Brahmanic Hindutva Fascism!
– Rejaz M Sheeba Sydeek
