Social activists and human rights defenders have called for a nationwide ” Dark Resistance” campaign on Thursday, July 8,  when lights will be switched off at 8 PM  for a 5 minute period. The campaign will draw attention to the fate of thousands of undertrials, who like Father Stan languish in jails without bail or trial.

Even as Indian Jesuit priest Stanislaus Lourduswamy was being laid to rest on Tuesday, his death caused a ripple of anguish and condemnation across the country, with several prominent media channels questioning the circumstances of his death and the lacunae in the India’s justice system.

People from all walks of life and communities  mourned the death of the 84 year old human rights defender, who was denied bail.

A spate of protests, memorials  online meetings and condolence sessions are being held across the length and breadth of the country.

Father Stan Swamy was arrested last year on suspicion, which he denied, of ties to a banned radical leftist group that police accused of having instigated violence in Maharashtra state in 2018.

In Patna, the state capital of Bihar, from which Jharkhand State was carved out in the year 2000, protests and condolences were held by civil society groups such as PUCL (Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberty) and others on July 6 and 7.

Jharkhand state was South Bihar when Father Stan first started his tryst with the tribal population.

In Guwahati, Assam, Father  G.P. Amalraj, Deputy Secretary,  on behalf of  the North East India Regional Bishops’ Council, said, ” We fail to understand why an 84 year old social worker, greatly weakened by diverse ailments could not get a bail for a case in which he claimed absolute innocence. Aside from the pain it has caused to the poor tribal people in whose behalf he laboured, it has shaken the confidence of society in our justice system and tarnished the image of the country at the international level.

” We pray for Father  Stan Swamy and his close relatives, while commending the cause of tribal growth and development to the Lord. May his innocence be established and may more and more young people come forward to dedicate their lives in behalf of the poor, ” the message read.

Priyeranjan Dwyer,  Secretary of Young Men’s Christian Association in Gaya, Bihar, while  expressing sorrow at the untimely death of the activist said, ” He had no family but his relentless mission for the upliftment of the Dalits and Adivasis cannot be forgotten. Various allegations were imposed on him and we feel that the case should be heard posthumously  and judgment pronounced for the people to know the entire truth.”

Fr. Stephen SJ, Regional Director, Jesuit Refugee Service in a message said,  “It is a murder of democracy by the fascist government. Father  Stan has been a voice of the voiceless…Human Rights defender…a true prophet of our time and will continue to inspire many to stand with the poor and the marginalized to oppose the oppressive  forces and to defend the rights of the marginalized.

” His dreams and mission will be carried forward by many; and that will be the true tribute to Father Stan. May the Lord reward him with eternal Peace and may he intercede for us all to be fearless in advocating and defending the cause of our people.

Amid widespread criticism over the death of tribal rights activist Stan Swamy in judicial custody, the government on Tuesday, July 6th clarified that the Jesuit priest’s arrest and the subsequent rejection of his bail appeals were “strictly in accordance with the law”. It also pointed out that authorities in India “act against violations of law and not against legitimate exercise of rights”.

In an official statement, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Father Stan Swamy was arrested and detained by the National Investigation Agency following due process under law and that his bail applications were rejected by the courts because of the “specific nature of charges” against Swamy.

In the words of Gautam Benegal, the gifted film director and son of accomplished and acclaimed film director Shyam Benegal:

Stan: He wouldn’t have survived long. It was inevitable. It was murder and nothing else.

But the prolonged torture Stan Swamy faced, at his age and in his condition even in the face of all the protests, was deliberately imposed by the State, and done so defiantly, blatantly, and openly to make a point and an example. It was premiditated. And it was bloodyminded malice baring its fangs from the highest level.

But Stan Swamy’s defiance was of an epic level. He stuck to his convictions to the very last. All the might and power of the State could not break an 84 year old man with so many ailments, infected by Covid.

He won in the end.  And like Graham Steines’ widow, I am sure that like the Christian he was, true to his faith, he forgave his oppressors.

They win twice over, these Christians.

Oppression is the furnace where the faith of Christians is forged to unbreakable steel. What did the State achieve by murdering Fr. Swamy? Millions more rising up even stronger in their faith.

And unbelievers like me even more resolute in standing next to them through whatever I can muster up in my own small way.

  protest, social justice, Stan Swany, UAPA