Jailed elderly Indian Jesuit Father Stan Swamy has been put on a ventilator after his health deteriorated in a Catholic-managed hospital in Mumbai city where he was admitted following a top court order.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), a federal body, has also intervened to ensure proper medical treatment for the sickly priest.
“Father Swamy was put on a ventilator on July 3 night after his health worsened suddenly,” said Father A. Santhanam, a Jesuit lawyer who is closely following the case of his 84-year-old confrere.
“We don’t have much information about his health since he was put on the ventilator,” he told UCA News on July 5.
Father Swamy was jailed on Oct. 9 last year, a day after he was arrested at his home in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state in eastern India. He was accused of several charges including collaborating with outlawed Maoists to overthrow the federal government.
Jesuits have sought prayers for the elderly priest, who was admitted to Mumbai’s Holy Family Hospital on May 28 following a direction from Bombay High Court, the top court in the western state of Maharashtra.
The priest tested positive for Covid-19 a day after his hospitalization
The court initially allowed his hospitalization for 14 days but extended it until July 5 after the priest’s health did not improve.
Father Swamy suffers from Parkinson’s disease, hearing impairment and other age-related issues, which some church leaders say must have prevented him from having proper drink and food in jail for more than six months. He also requires assistance from others to do his daily chores.
The priest tested positive for Covid-19 a day after his hospitalization.
Father Swamy is among 16 accused in a sedition case. They are charged under the stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the federal National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is tasked to combat terrorist activities. Charges under UAPA are considered non-bailable.
The High Court on July 3 postponed Father Swamy’s bail application to July 6 in view of his deteriorating health.
The NHRC has taken up the case of Father Swamy and has served notices to the chief secretary of Maharashtra’s government and the superintendent of Taloja Central Jail, where he was detained until being hospitalized.
The NHRC action came in response to a complaint Father Santhanam had filed seeking proper medical care for the elderly priest.
The NHRC also asked officials to give a report on the health situation and medical care of the priest within three days
It has asked state officials “to ensure that every possible effort” is made to provide proper medical care and treatment to Father Swamy considering the “serious health condition of the inmate, who is very old and sick.”
The NHRC also asked officials to give a report on the health situation and medical care of the priest within three days.
The rights panel has also posted its next hearing for July 8.
Rights groups and Jesuits say all the 16 arrested are human rights activists who criticized the policies of the government run by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They maintain the arrests and incarcerations are aimed at silencing criticism of the government.
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