Evidence "Planted" On Father Stan Swamy's Computer: US Forensic Firm (image/jcapsj.org)
On Tuesday, a US-based forensic company claimed that the digital evidence used to arrest Jesuit priest Father Stan Swamy in the Bhima-Koregaon case was “planted” on the hard drive of his computer.
The 84-year-old human rights activist, who died in custody in July 2021 while waiting for interim bail on medical grounds, was accused in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist link case.
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Arsenal Consulting, a Massachusetts-based firm, concluded after examining an electronic copy of his computer that a hacker infiltrated the activists’ device and “planted” over 50 files. The report also stated that the files include incriminating documents that “fabricated links between him and the Maoist insurgency.”
It added that the last incriminating document was added to Swamy’s hard drive on June 5, 2019, a week before the raid on the activist who was arrested on the basis of the same documents, despite several experts raising doubts about the authenticity of the evidence.
The recent report lines up with previous reports documenting a similar behaviour of planting evidence on the devices of other human rights activists, such as Rona Wilson and Surendra Gadling.
On July 9, three American lawmakers introduced a resolution in the US House of Representatives urging India to start an independent investigation into the arrest, imprisonment, and subsequent death of Swamy.
The tribal rights activist from Jharkhand suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Known for being instrumental in advancing rights of Adivasis and marginalised groups, Swamy was also the oldest person accused of terrorism in India.
Following his death, a spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs stated that his incarceration followed due process of law and that his bail applications were rejected due to the specific nature of the charges raised against Swamy.
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The activist’s death sparked massive outrage among the public, activists, and major political leaders. “A case of judicial murder” is how historian Ramachandra Guha described Swamy’s death.
A total of 16 individuals were arrested, including prominent activists, academicians, and lawyers, based on allegations of being associated with the banned CPI (Maoist) and delivering speeches furthering the Maoist cause at Pune’s Elgar Parishad conclave on December 31, 2017. The police claimed that the alleged inflammatory speeches had triggered violence at the Koregaon-Bhima war memorial the next day.
Nine of the total individuals were arrested by the Pune Police in 2018, while the other seven were arrested by the NIA after taking over the investigations in January 2020.
