The octogenarian was the oldest person in India accused of terrorism. Swamy along with several other prominent academics and activists was accused of being linked to banned radical leftwing groups and instigating sectarian violence in Maharashtra in 2018 - a charge he and his companions denied. He was also denied warm clothes,' she told TRT World.ДЇather Stan Swamy was serving detention under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), a law in India that allows the government to detain an individual for months without a trial. He couldn't eat properly and wanted a sipping straw but the jail authorities denied him even that. 'He (Swamy) was suffering from Parkinson's disease. Grandniece of a prominent Indian tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy - who passed away last week while in a pre-trial detention in the western Indian state of Maharashtra - Franita cannot come to terms as to how her 84-year-old uncle was deprived of even basic facilities in jail, which she believes led to his death. 'Under the current dispensation, his death was on cards, but I wish I could see him,' laments Franita. But, perhaps, it was always beyond her control. Lincy Franita, 30, rues not meeting her granduncle one last time in prison. Now, some are challenging the law's constitutionality. In recent years, the Modi government has repeatedly used the UAPA against rights activists, students and journalists critical of the state.

Draconian rule