March 25 will go down as another dreadful day in the history of the world’s so-called largest democracy.

After all, an Indian court refused to give bail to a well-known human rights defender—Delhi University Professor G.N. Saibaba—who is being incarcerated under inhuman conditions despite being 90 percent disabled below the waist.

Saibaba was convicted and sentenced to life in prison after being accused of being a sympathizer of Maoist insurgents who are fighting a class war in the tribal areas of India.

He had been raising his voice against the repression of Indigenous peoples who are being forcibly evicted by big mining companies. These corporations are eyeing these people's traditional lands to extract rich minerals without their informed consent, yet with the backing of the Indian state.

The police have become a ready tool in the hands of these companies and frequently target any voice of resistance. Often, state repression forces Indigenous peoples to join the Maoist ranks to escape police brutality.

Since Saibaba was instrumental in mobilizing public opinion against the exploitation of tribal communities, he was arrested in 2014 after being branded as a Maoist sympathizer. He was given his life sentence in March, 2017 under the country's draconian laws.

Recently, his family applied for bail plea on medical grounds for the wheelchair-dependent Saibaba, who has suffered from 19 ailments.

However, a court in Nagpur not only rejected his bail application, but refused to show any leniency, stating that he is "mentally fit" and is working as a "think tank for Maoists".

This is nothing but defiance to international bodies, such as the United Nations, whose experts have called for his immediate release on compassionate grounds. Last year, UN rights experts urged the New Delhi government to let him of jail in the light of his deteriorating health.

Now, contrast this with the Indian Supreme Court’s decision to grant freedom to a mass murderer on medical grounds.

About two weeks before Saibaba’s bail plea was rejected, the apex court in India granted bail to Babu Bajrangi—a Hindu extremist who convicted of being involved in the anti-Muslim pogrom of 2002 in Gujarat.

Thousands of Muslims were slaughtered in the state following the burning of a train carrying Hindu pilgrims.

More than 50 people died in the initial incident, which was blamed on Muslims by the ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP).

Back in 2002, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was chief minister of Gujarat when the violence broke out. Though he was never charged, human rights activists and survivors of the violence believe he was complicit in the crime—an allegation he has consistently denied.

It is pertinent to mention that ever since Modi became prime minister in 2014, attacks on religious minorities and political dissidents have grown. Saibaba has also been critical of Hindu chauvinism.

Babu Bajrangi was a foot soldier of the Hindu right. He confessed his involvement in a media sting operation and was given life sentence for the crime. And yet, on March 7, the Indian Supreme Court granted him bail, citing his major bypass surgery and other medical conditions.

The Saibaba case is not only a national shame for India where mass murderers like Babu Bajrangi continue to enjoy state patronage under the BJP government. It is also a matter of shame for countries like Canada that remain indifferent to such an important issue.

This is despite the fact that more than 1,000 people signed a petition concerning Saibaba, which was drafted by lawyer and human rights activist Amandeep Singh on behalf of Radical Desi Publications Ltd.

Singh is the former New Democratic Party candidate in Richmond-Queensborough.

The petition, which asks the Canadian government to intervene, was submitted to the Canadian House of Commons by two MPs, Sukh Dhaliwal and Peter Julian. But the Canadian government has refused to step in.

New Democratic Party Leader Jagmeet Singh issued a statement on social media in the past expressing his concern over the deteriorating health condition of Saibaba.

https://twitter.com/thejagmeetsingh/status/932330465142366208

Meanwhile, his party colleagues, including former MP and strong human rights advocate Svend Robinson, have also spoken out for Saibaba in light of recent decision of Nagpur High Court.

Other groups that have come forward to raise their voice for Saibaba in Canada include the International League of People's Struggles, South Asian Network for Secularism and Democracy, East Indian Defence Committee, and the B.C. Federation of Labour. In addition, members of Alliance Against Displacement, the residents of seniors' home run by Progressive Inter Cultural Community Services in Surrey, Sikh Nation, and the World Sikh Organization have spoken out.

The Sikh community supported the cause by enthusiastically signing the petition at two Vaisakhi parades in Greater Vancouver in 2017. Members of Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar and Sukh Sagar Sikh temple in New Westminster have also vehemently come out in favour of Saibaba's release.

On April 3, University of British Columbia students are going to organize “A Night of Awareness for G.N. Saibaba” at 6 p.m. at the Institute of Asian Research (1855 West Mall, Point Grey campus). It's an open event and anyone can attend.

Considering the sentiments of people who are concerned with the situation of Saibaba, the Canadian government that claims to be a human rights leader in the world needs to break its silence over growing repression in India.

It must stand up for Saibaba and others like him who are being punished for merely fighting for a just society.