Swamy laid to rest: ‘Charged with crimes he never dreamt of’

The funeral of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy, who died on Monday in a private hospital in Mumbai while awaiting medical bail in the Elgaar Parishad case, was held on Tuesday at a virutal service in which Jesuit priests recalled his years of service for the rights of adivasis and Dalits, and protestors demanded the release of other accused in the case.

At St Peter’s Church in Bandra, from where the small funeral was beamed out online, the notice board declaring solidarity with Fr Swamy during his months in jail carried a different message on Tuesday — ‘Fr Stan, you are an inspiration’.

Several of the activist priest’s Jesuit colleagues spoke at the service, dismissing as “false” the charges against him as an inciter of terrorist violence.

“He was a man of audacity who called a spade a spade. He knew no fear to take on any organisation. Be it church political or corporate, if he felt that they were working against the poor and marginalised, he became a voice of the voiceless. Father Stan knew the dangerous terrain he is getting into, given the scenario that those who are working with marginalised communities are termed as urban naxals, but that was his commitment,” said Father Jerry Cutinho, Provincial of Jamshedpur, paying tribute to Swamy’s work with the adivasi community from 1971.

Father Joe Xavier, who was present at the time of Swamy’s arrest in Ranchi on October 8 last year, recalled how during a phone conversation with him from Taloja Central Jail, the 84-year-old was taken aback by the controversy in court over his steel sipper with straw — his Parkinson’s condition prevented him from holding a glass or cup — that was missing from his belongings in jail. “He told me ‘leave it if it is difficult, I will manage without it’.”

Father Frazer Mascarenhas, the Parish priest of the Church, also former principal of St Xavier’s College in Mumbai, told The Indian Express, “He lived 30 years of his life in Jharkhand with tribals and so he strongly identified with them. He had a premonition he is not going to survive for too long so he wanted to spend his last days with his people in Jharkhand.”

Fr Mascarenhas spoke about the association that Swamy had set up to help tribals fight for their rights guaranteed by the Constitution. “He worked for those who had been imprisoned on unfair charges and helped to get them out on bail and fight against their oppression. In the last month, he had hoped that he would survive due to the good treatment he was getting at (Holy Family hospital). He wanted to continue to do good for people wherever he was, if not in Jharkhand then here in Mumbai with us.”

He described as “inhuman” the treatment meted out to Swamy in jail, where he contracted Covid-19 but was neither tested nor treated for it for weeks before the court stepped in.

Father Stanislaus D’Souza, the Jesuit Provincial of India and South Asia, said Swamy had preferred to live among the downtrodden in Jharkhand even though he had been selected for studies at a prestigious institute. “He identified with them. He was arrested, he was hounded because of his staunch support to them in their struggle for basic human rights. He was charged with crimes that he never dreamt of. Finally, he died because of the rough treatment meted out to him in custody,” D’Souza said.

As the service was being held, several people from the Bombay Catholic Sabha held a peaceful protest outside St Peter’s Church in Bandra (West) to express their solidarity with Swamy.

The 84-year-old’s death would not be in vain, they said, adding that the protests would continue to ensure that the Supreme Court took note and prevented others arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case from languishing in jail without a speedy trial.

A placard read – ‘RIP Stan. Sorry Stan we failed you. Stan we continue to fight for justice. Innocent man’s blood on institutions! How many more deaths of Bhima Koregaon detainees? This must stop.’

Raphael D’Souza, an advocate and president of Bombay Catholic Sabha, said: “It’s not about any religion. We all our human beings. I hope this incident opens the eyes of the Supreme Court. My only request to the Chief Justice of India is do not keep people languishing in jail.”

“Like priest Swamy, there are others such as Sudha Bharadwaj and more, who are languishing in jail. Please grant them bail. If you think they will run away, take their passports and give them strict bail conditions. Also, start the trial soon so it’s clear if they are guilty or not,” he added.

The protesters also found support from members of AAP. Holding a placard, which stated – ‘Father Stan did not die, he was killed’, AAP’s Ruben Mascarenhas said: “What is the larger message being sent — ‘we will put you in jail for asking questions’? That is what Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is about. We have to stand for the oppressed and not the oppressor.”

Dolphy D’Souza, convener of Police Reforms Watch, said: “We are resolved that his death will not go in vain. There is a clear demand that all those who are falsely implicated and jailed in the Elgaar Parishad case be granted bail. Let the case continue. The trial should start.”

“Most of them incarcerated in jail are intellectuals working for the downtrodden. The spark of Father Stan’s martyrdom will lead to a larger movement for equitable justice and release of the vulnerable sections from jail and repeal of UAPA against all those who dissent, which is our fundamental right,” added Dolphy, also the spokesperson of Bombay Catholic Sabha.

Sabha members raised slogans of ‘Father Swami amar rahe’, as the mortal remains were driven out of the church in an ambulance to a crematorium in Shivaji Park.

“We are planning another protest on Thursday where people across Mumbai will protest in their localities. We are inviting all like-minded people,” said Dolphy. —WITH INPUTS FROM SADAF MODAK