The image of a convicted criminal from a hospital bed in Etah, Uttar Pradesh is being circulated online with the claim that the photograph actually shows Stan Swamy during his last days before he passed away on Monday.
Others are also sharing the image with the same claims, asking where his human rights are.
The photograph shows the person with his legs chained to the bed.
The photo is not of Stan Swamy
The person in the photo, however, is not Stan Swamy but convicted murderer Baburam Balwan Singh. A cropped version of the photograph was published in a report by the Times on India on May 14, 2021. The photo had surfaced on social media and had sparked anger due to the age of the old man. Consequently, an inquiry was ordered and director general (prisons) Anand Kumar was suspended, reported TOI.
Kuldeep Singh Bhadauria, the jailor, had said, “He was taken to a government hospital on Sunday due to breathing problems and was referred to Aligarh. But there was no bed available there, so he was brought back to Etah, where he was admitted at the district hospital’s non Covid-19 ward. It is not clear under what circumstances he was tied to the bed. The entire matter is being investigated.”
Dr. Umesh Tripathi, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Eta district, stated, “Following a primary investigation, it surfaced that the patient was tied to bed by the jail staffer. I came to know about the entire matter through social media. The jail inmate is suffering from lung infection. He is being provided suitable treatment.”
Baburam Balwan Singh was convicted of murder earlier this year. He is reported to be a resident of Kulla Habibpur village. There are other media reports which prove that the person in the photograph is not Stan Swamy.
The media had also reported that the jail warden had been suspended by the Yogi Adityanath government.
Bhima Koregaon accused dies
Father Stan Swamy, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon ‘Urban Naxal’ case, has passed away, his lawyer informed the Bombay High Court when the Court took up his bail plea. According to his counsel, Stan Swamy suffered a cardiac arrest early morning on Saturday at 4:30 a.m., following which he passed away. The counsel demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.
Furthermore, prior to his death, the accused received adequate treatment at the Holy Family Hospital in Bandra, where he had himself chosen to receive treatment after the Bombay High Court had directed him to be treated at the JJ Hospital.
