Stan Swamy, 84 years old and an accused in Bhima-Koregaon Violence and alleged and accused Maoist sympathizer died yesterday. He died while being detained without facing trial and with multiple rejections of a bail.
Prime facie, the manner of death is tragic, irrespective of whether accusations are proven or not. I do not presume Swamy's innocence, but I do not think he should be declared 'guilty' since courts have not declared him so.
His pictures on internet, where we see frail old man participating in various meetings and agitations, invoke a certain admiration. It is admirable to fight with the mighty state. But fact that he was in fight with state and admiration invoked by visual clues does not make him innocent. He might have been kind and loving to those around him, but that does not mean he was against violence of any sort. Being political activists is being selective about certain sort of violence. There is no one who is 'human right activist'. I know that individuals kind and loving can justify goriest of violence. So I am not going to certify Swamy for innocence.
But I am disturbed by his death. I would have preferred if courts (which means the forces which operate the state and court) to be magnanimous and grant bail to Swamy. For me, Swamy was an activist who did not like current ruling disposition and current ruling disposition did not like him. I believe that Swamy was part of the process which is trying to upstage the current ruling disposition, sometimes with justification of violence. But I do not see it to be the reason to detain him till he met his death in prison. Especially after he caught Covid-19, he should have been granted the bail. What happened with him, even while allowing state to use a fair room to exert its might, is WRONG. State should have showed the decency that age and impending death warranted.
I understand that there are advantages of being so petty. Much of the supporters of current ruling disposition nurse long grievances and deep hatred (दीर्घद्वेषी). Such feeling is a fuel of their activism. They must be rejoicing at this death. After all, there is no legal blemish on state. Swamy died while going through the due process and no one killed him.
Swamy's death can also serve as a deterrent. We understate the extent of deterrence effect. Sustained clamp down on left wing activism without a simmering discontent among wider population is bound to weaken the left wing activism.
I do not shirk at mention of 'violence'. I believe there are urban naxals and I think there should be. I have admiration for anyone who can take up to street, take up to courts and take up the arms to fight the mighty state. And I do not believe they are anti-national. Anti-national is one who actively helps the other state to harm our nation. But that does not mean they should have impunity if their means are illegal. State should respond to them without being petty. Activist will be jailed and should be. But state should treat a political prisoner differently than petty criminal or gang member. State needs to know that it should a worthy opponent. Even if a citizen denies state, state should not deny the minimum decency to such citizen. I know some might find these expectations laughable, but I believe they can be realized. And it will not make the state weaker. Being magnanimous, being decent is not weak. Avoiding mockery, avoiding imposition of humiliation is not being weak. Fire the bullet to one who is firing at you, but do not kick the person who cannot fire at you, as he/she is dead or wounded by your bullet. It is a tall expectation, but it is from mighty we should have tall expectations.
In Swamy's death, state has proven itself to be tough and petty. There are no two ways about it.