NEW DELHI (AP) — Father Stan Swamy, a jailed Jesuit priest and longtime Indian tribal rights activist, has died at age 84 of cardiac arrest in western India. His lawyer and doctor say Swamy, who suffered from Parkinson’s disease, died on Monday afternoon. The activist was moved from prison to a private hospital in May after his health started to rapidly deteriorate. He was admitted to the ICU, where he tested positive for COVID-19. In October, Swamy was arrested and charged under a harsh anti-terror law over alleged Maoist links and violence in 2018 between low-cast Dalits and right-wing groups. Swamy maintained his innocence and rejected any links to the rebels, saying he was targeted over his work on caste injustice.
