 For more videos and people's struggles, please subscribe to our YouTube channel. 84-year-old human rights activist, priest and political prisoner Stan Swami died in hospital on July 5th in India. Many have called his death an institutional murder and a custodial killing. This is because Swami had been incarcerated under dubious and unproven allegations. His appeal for medical bail had been rejected multiple times despite his deteriorating health. Swami suffered from Parkinson's along with other ailments. He had contracted COVID-19 in jail. However, he was denied medical care for over 10 days before he was shifted to a hospital last month. Swami had challenged the court's rejection of his bail in a higher court. The National Investigation Agency or NIA, which is probing the case, opposed Swami's bail plea in the court stating that there did not exist conclusive proof of his medical ailments. Swami died shortly before the matter was due to be heard again. Stan Swami was a renowned activist who had spent decades working for the welfare of tribal communities in India. He had to fight a legal battle to even access a straw and zipper which he needed because of Parkinson's. Swami was among the 16 activists and academics who have been arrested in the Bhima-Korigao case. The case began on January 1, 2018 when right-wing groups attacked a gathering of progressives celebrating the anniversary of the historic battle of Bhima-Korigao that took place 200 years ago. The violence led to the death of at least one person. Initially, the police had investigated right-wing leaders who were present at the scene for instigating riots. Later, however, investigating agency announced a probe which implicated progressive activists and accused them of working with the banned Maoist guerrillas to destabilize the country. The case has been severely criticized especially after reports by Washington Post which alleged that incriminating evidence had been planted on the laptop of one of the accused, Rona Wilson, using malware. New reports have now emerged after Swami's death stating that evidence was also planted in a similar manner on the laptop of another accused, Surendra Gardily. Attempts were also made to plant incriminating evidence on the laptop of Stan Swami. It is not yet known if those were successful. Many of those in prison under this case are above the age of 60 and suffer from various health issues. 82-year-old Varavara Rao's health also deteriorated significantly while in prison. He is a poet and another accused in the Bhima-Korigao case. He had contracted COVID-19, unilaterally tracked infection and was suffering a number of other ailments. In July 2020, his family had expressed the fear that he was suffering from brain damage. In February this year, he was finally granted bail after two and a half years in prison. Another accused, Hanibabu, a professor at Delhi University, tested positive for COVID-19 in May. He was already suffering from an acute eye infection for which treatment was delayed by prison authorities. Because of the infection, he suffered from almost complete loss of vision in his eye. The infection spread considerably before he was finally taken to a hospital. The treatment is still continuing. Seven of the 16 accused in this case have contracted COVID-19 now. Apart from this case as well, political prisoners in India incarcerated under dubious charges have been struggling to survive the pandemic. Siddique Kapan, a journalist, was arrested in October last year as he was trying to travel to the town of Hatris in Northern India to report on a caste-based rape case. In the midst of the pandemic, Kapan was arrested and lodged in an overcrowded prison where he got infected during a COVID outbreak. After much delay when he was finally admitted to a hospital, Kapan was kept chained to his bed and was not even allowed to get up to use the toilet. Throughout his illness, Kapan did not receive proper medical care. The common link among all these people is that they have been charged under the Draconian Indian Law, the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act or UAPA. The law allows authorities to retain people without presenting any charges for up to six months. Even afterwards, it is extremely difficult to get bail as authorities tend to cite vague arguments of threat to national security and sedition without presenting concrete evidence. A few days before his death, Stan Swamy had challenged the constitutional validity of certain sections of UAPA in court. Swamy said in his petition that the in some mountable hurdles UAPA creates in getting bail violates the accused person's fundamental right to life and liberty as guaranteed by the constitution. Under the ruling far-right BJP government in India led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UAPA is being used more and more often to clamp down on free speech and dissent.