Thursday, March 28, 2024

Rona Wilson pays last respects to his father on video call

A banner outside Rona Wilson’s house in Kollan, Kerala. Photo: Amjad Bin Sharaf, Midhun Mohan/ Maktoob

Amjad Bin Sharaf, Midhun Mohan

Jailed activist Rona Wilson made a video call home on Thursday morning to pay last respect to his father, Wilson Jacob, who died on Wednesday night.

“He called home early morning and said it was a peaceful death,” John, a close relative of Wilson told Maktoob. 84-years-old Wilson Jacob had been in treatment for two weeks due to congenital diseases of old age.

Jacob was a veteran activist affiliated with leftist groups.

The funeral took place on Thursday evening in St. Sebastian’s Church in Kollam district, Kerala, attended by close family members.

“He saw her father for a look and then talked to all the members of the household”.

His lawyers will be approaching the court seeking temporary bail for Wilson so that he can travel to his home for the final rites, his relatives told Maktoob. Roy Wilson, Rona Wilson’s brother, declined to speak in the hour of grief.

Rona Wilson was arrested on 6 June 2018 under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, allegedly for instigating violence through the Elgaar Parishad during the Bhima Koregaon celebration on 1 January 2018. Incriminating evidence was allegedly found in his computer. Police claimed the letter was found that says about a “Maoist plot to assassinate Prime Minister Modi”.

Last year, Arsenal Consulting, a Massachusetts-based digital forensic firm, found that key evidence in Rona Wilson’s computer was planted using malware.

Wilson is lodged in Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai. He was preparing a research proposal for a PhD in London when he was arrested from his house in Delhi.

“Rona Wilson has been in prison for three years,” Rona Wilson’s lawyer Susan Abraham told Maktoob.

“There has been a massive conspiracy behind the arrests of Bhima Koragan. This is a case that has been carefully planned by the government to detain human rights activists. Thirteen petitions have already been filed in the Bombay High Court”.

His next hearing is listed on 27 August.

Many activists and human rights defenders rallied to console Rona Wilson and his family.

Rona Wilson is a member of the Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP), which has campaigned against the UAPA and other repressive laws.

Recently, the High Court had granted temporary bail to Wilson’s co-accused, lawyer Surendra Gadling, to visit his home in Nagpur to perform final rites on his mother’s first death anniversary.

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