Disabled tribal activist Father Stan Swamy finally gets a sipper in jail

Over seven weeks after he was arrested, father Stan Swamy has finally got a sipper in jail. Father Swamy has Parkinson’s disease and is unable to hold a glass of water. His petition for a straw and sipper had been rejected earlier this week following which there was a huge social media campaign slamming the inhuman treatment shown to the disabled tribal activist.

Father Stan Swamy gets a sipper in jail, finally. Following widespread outrage on social media the Maharashtra government has finally ensured the disabled tribal activist was given a sipper by authorities at Taloja Jail where he is lodged 90 days after he was arrested.

Father Swamy, who is 83 years old, has Parkinson’s disease and cannot hold a glass of water. He has also lost most of his hearing in both years.yet, he was denied the basic accommodations mandated under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 which recognises Parkinson’s as a disabling condition.

Arrested 90 days ago

After Father Swamy’s plea for a sipper and straw as rejected by the National investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mumbai earlier this week, a massive social media campaign was launched.Over 100 straws and sippers were sent to the jail and lawyers in Mumbai also got together to do the same.

This video of Father Stan Swamy at a recent protest tweeted by Supreme Court advocate Prashant Bhushan, which highlights the extent of his disability, was also widely shared on social media.

The pressure seems to have finally worked.

The Inspector General of Pplice (Prisons) Chhering Dorje visited Father Swamy in prison on Saturday and asked about his requirements. Additional Director General of Police (Prisons) Sunil Ramanand told Mumbai Mirror that following the visit a sipper was provided.

Reacting to the news Vaishnavi Jayakumar, the Chennai based disability rights advocate tweeted, “This is long overdue. Please ensure that disabled people are allowed to retain their assistive aids when entering custody. The NLEAP list could be referred to as an automatic list of permitted items instead of the current ‘spectacles only’ unwritten policy”.