END UNJUST INCARCERATION OF COMRADE PRASHANT BOSE AND ALL POLITICAL

PRISONERS

On November 12, 2021, Mr. Prashant Bose, an elderly political activist from Jharkhand, and his comrade
and partner, Shila Marandi, were arrested by the state police while travelling to a doctor's appointment for
a cataract procedure. Since then, despite being in critical health and being close to 80 years old, he has
been imprisoned in a Jharkhand jail. He is a veteran political activist who has participated in and led
several peasant uprisings in states like Bengal, undivided Bihar, and subsequently Jharkhand and Bihar.

We believe that although one may disagree with a certain political ideology, they should never be
criminalised for adopting an ideology that differs from the State's. Rather than releasing this elderly man,
the government has been pressing cases against him one after another, thus putting him behind bars for
years at a time without a trial. This strategy effectively negates the supreme court’s dictum, “bail is rule,
jail is the exception”, and thereby the Indian State has been transforming the legal process into substantive
punishment.

Furthermore, it is inhumane on the part of the State to detain an octogenarian and keep him in prison.
Based on information gleaned from several news outlets, Mr. Bose is afflicted with multiple conditions
such as hypertension, paralysis, and others, which render him unable to even stand independently. We are
aware that jail infrastructure is completely unfit for such elderly and sick people to conduct normal lives.
This implies that detaining such individuals actually reduces their right to life guaranteed by the
constitution. We have already lost Father Stan Swamy as a result of the State's indifference to letting him
live a life of dignity.

A number of United Nations declarations on senior/ageing citizens (being affirmed by the Government of
India) highlight the growing population of older prisoners and urge the nations to rethink the concept of
care and custody of these “forgotten minority”. This perspective questions the “iron law of correction”
and urge the nations to release the old, ageing and ailing prisoners with immediate effect. Therefore,
viewing from this perspective too, any further incarceration of Mr. Bose (and others) is a gross violation
of the international human rights law in regard to senior citizen-prisoners. Apart from this, The DIG of
Jharkhand Police did not allow his relatives to visit him during the initial 3 months of his incarceration
period. This is totally unconstitutional and goes against all the national and international jail codes.
Neither the relatives, nor the civil rights activists are allowed to visit Mr. Bose.

India is increasingly moving towards becoming a fascist state, with police enforcement and complete
subjugation to the dictatorship of the Brahmanical Hindutva forces. Draconian laws like UAPA, which are
modernised reenactments of laws like the colonial Rowlatt Law, have been woven into the Constitution.
The Indian State, in a desperate attempt to stifle all voices of dissent, has launched an all-out attack on all
progressive and democratic forces.

We, the undersigned organisations, demand the immediate and unconditional release of Prashant Bose and
all political prisoners.