Activist Natasha Narwal’s father Mahavir Narwal on Sunday died due to COVID-19 related complications.
Natasha has been lodged in Tihar Jail after being arrested in May 2020 for allegedly being part of a premeditated conspiracy in the northeast Delhi riots in February that year. She has been booked under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Breaking the news, Pinjra Tod, the organisation Natasha has been a part of said that Natasha’s bail petiton to visit her father in the hospital was to be heard on May 10.
“Mahavir Narwal campaigned hard to prove the innocence of Natasha who was incarcerated for her peaceful participation in the protest against the Citizenship Citizenship Amendment Bill. This was not his first brush with prison. He himself had been imprisoned for his participation in protests during the Emergency period,” Pinjra Tod said in a statement.
Mr. Narwal was associated with the People's Science Movement and the Gyan-Vigyan Andolan since its inception in Haryana.
Several left-wing politicians and activists condoled the death of Mr. Narwal. Tweeting her condolences, CPI(M) politburo member Brinda Karat said “Extend my deep condolences to Natasha and her brother Aakash. The terrible injustice of the system in which a daughter wrongly locked up for a year unable to see her father even for a final farewell.”
CPIML politburo member Kavita Krishnan tweeted “This is so bloody cruel & sadistic: it's a form of torture to keep political prisoners jailed during a pandemic, forced to suffer not only prison, but the pain of being away from loved ones who are dying. Natasha's brother also has Covid-19,” she said.
Earlier during the day, Pinjra Tod had organised a twitter storm to campaign for Natasha’s release so that she could be with her father and support her family as they battled COVID-19.
