Judge Loya death: A quick, discreet protest demands answers

A group of 30 people protest at Gateway of India on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi

Five years on, questions surrounding the mysterious death of judge B H Loya remains unanswered. However, a group of Mumbaikars has taken it upon themselves to remind the state government that people still want to know 'who killed Judge Loya'. The judge, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case, died allegedly of cardiac arrest in 2014 in Nagpur where he had gone to attend a wedding ceremony.

Though the post-mortem report stated that judge Brijgopal Harkishan Loya died of natural causes, a detailed magazine report in 2017 mentioned that fresh details have emerged, suggesting foul play in his death. Several PILs were filed in the Supreme Court following the reportage but were dismissed. The SC had said there was no reason to doubt the statements of the four judges, who were in Nagpur with Judge Loya to attend the wedding ceremony.

Since the suspicion arose over Judge Loya's death in 2017, people have been demanding clarity, and one activist, Ashok Pai, has been holding sporadic protests since then. Pai, joined by just one protester, started asking questions about Judge Loya's death in December 2017. In January 2018, he held another protest with eight other activists at the Bombay High Court, seven of whom were detained. Undeterred, some of them once again met at the Gateway of India on Thursday afternoon, joined by many more.

Sporting identical t-shirts that read, 'Who Killed Judge Loya?' the 30 protesters, who became acquainted through Facebook, unfurled a huge banner with the image of Mahatma Gandhi, who was assassinated on this day in 1948. The banner read: 'Satyamev Jayate'. However, they ensured there was no police presence in the area. Paranoia about the police is understandable, said Pai, who was not only arrested in 2018, but also in 2017.

"We have gathered here today to highlight the main questions regarding Judge Loya's death. A probe has never been done properly. We are trying to tell the government that they should file a case and conduct a trial. We have been asking the same questions for the past two-three years. Now, a lot more facts are available in the public domain therefore, a deeper investigation can be done," Pai, 53, told mid-day.

Another protester, Vinod Chand, a 57-year-old resident of Mira Road, said, "The purpose of today's protest is to make the current state government realise that there still exists a demand to know what exactly happened and why is Judge Loya's death shrouded in mystery. It is we the people who are demanding this."

He pointed to a "general public apathy" towards the case, which he attributed to the lack of awareness among the public about Judge Loya's death. "We are trying to raise public awareness and draw the attention of the government so that we can get them to conduct an investigation. So far, there has been a 'discreet inquiry.' What does that even mean?" he asked.

Before leaving Gateway of India, the protesters made a short video clip asking the question: 'Who killed Judge Loya?' "We will make this video viral so that more people know about the loopholes in this case," said Pai, adding that they plan to approach state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh about the matter. Deshmukh had earlier this year said the investigation into Judge Loya will be reopened provided there is clinching evidence to support the claim of foul play.

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The duration of the protest in minutes

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The duration of the protest in minutes

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