Chandrashekhar Azad’s Bhim Army gathered in hundreds at Jantar Mantar on Sunday.
(Photo: PTI)
Several notable academics, Nobel laureates and European parliamentarians have collectively written a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Chief Justice of India, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and other Indian authorities, demanding the release of political prisoners apprehended in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.
On 1 January 2018, Dalits from all walks of life came together in Bhima Koregaon, about 40 km from Pune, to commemorate a 200-year-old battle in which the Dalit-dominated British army defeated Peshwas in Maharashtra. Stone-pelting and violent clashes had marred the event, followed by protests by the Dalit community over the violence.
The signatories marked their concern over the unavailability of prompt medical care in jails amid the pandemic, and demanded that a temporary administrative order be issued to release the political prisoners in India.
The petitioners noted that among the 16 human rights defenders arrested in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case, many are senior citizens or those who suffer from comorbidities. At least six of them have contracted COVID-19 due to the deplorable living conditions in the prisons.
The letter outlined the demands of the petitioners as follows:
"We strongly believe that by turning a blind eye to the toll exacted by COVID on those it holds in its custody, the government is in violation of its Constitutional duty to safeguard the life of these citizens," the letter added.
(Source: InSAF INDIA)
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