Jailed human rights activist Stan Swamy wrote to his acquaintances, expressing gratitude for the solidarity shown by people, to mark 100 days of him being in custody. “At times, news of such solidarity has given me immense strength and courage, especially when the only thing certain in prison is uncertainty,” he wrote in a letter. “Life here is on a day-to-day basis.”

Swamy, 83, sent the letter on January 22 to a few of his friends, supporters and the non-government body National Confederation of Human Rights Organisations, according to The Telegraph. The content of the letter was shared on the Twitter handle of Social Justice and Ecology Secretariat.

The activist, who was arrested on October 8, in connection to the Bhima Koregaon case, further wrote that the other accused in the matter were not allowed to meet, despite being lodged in the same prison.

“…We 16 co-accused have not been able to meet each other, despite being in the same jail,” he said. “But we will still sing in chorus. A caged bird can still sing.”

In November too, Swamy had written a letter, describing his life in jail. Back then, he had said that he was allowed to meet other activists Varavara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira, who were also in custody at the Taloja Central Jail near Mumbai.

The National Investigation Agency arrested Swamy last year and alleged that he was a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), and was involved in a conspiracy to instigate caste violence in the Bhima Koregaon village near Pune in 2018. He has been in judicial custody since October 9.

In November, people outraged after it emerged that the NIA had told a court that it would not be able to provide a sipper and straw to Swamy, which he needed to drink water as he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. The NIA later provided him with the sipper and straw and refused that they had denied it.

Last month, the NIA opposed Swamy’s bail plea, submitting to the court that it had sufficient evidence to prove that he was involved in “deep-rooted conspiracy” to fuel the Bhima Koregaon incident. It alleged that Swamy was also directly involved in the Maoists’ movement.

India – According to the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCAN), police in India’s Andhra Pradesh state have arrested a Christian pastor of allegedly making derogatory videos about Hindu deities.

On January 12, Pastor Preveen Chakravarthy was arrested for his alleged involvement in a video where he admitted he had kicked images of Hindu gods. Local Christians claim the arrest is part of a larger plan to spread hatred against Christians in the state.

“There are some fanatic groups who are trying to create hatred among different faiths by dividing people in the name of caste, creed, and religion and trying to push their propaganda,” Pastor Joseph Benjamin Gootam to UCAN. “There is a trend in the state where vested interest people are even targeting the chief minister, accusing him of favoring minority groups, especially Christians since he is himself a Christian.”

“I’m very surprised about the arrest of Pastor Chakravarthy as the case is very old,” Pastor Gootam continued. “We are sure that some people may have complained to the police recently. We have full faith in the judiciary and hope the pastor will come clean in the investigation.”

According to local pastors, the video over which Pastor Chakravarthy was arrested is from 2013. Pastor Chakravarthy has admitted the voice on the video is his.

Police claim the Pastor’s statement in the video violated Section 153-A of the Penal Code. Section 153-A criminalizes vilifications or attacks on the religion, race, place of birth, residence, and language of any particular group.
Sources:persecution