MUMBAI (SE): The Society of Jesus’ Jamshedpur Province, in Jharkhand state, India, announced the death in custody of Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy [Stan Swamy] on July 5 at the Holy Family Hospital in Mumbai, where he had been confined due to deteriorating health from a combination of Parkinson’s disease, age-related illnesses, contracting Covid-19 in May, and neglect. He was 84-years-old.
Father Swamy had been moved to the hospital from incarceration in Taloja jail, Mumbai, following an order from the High Court [Sunday Examiner, June 6] and placed on a ventilator on July 3 as his health further deteriorated.
He had been arrested on 8 October 2020 under the controversial Unlawful Activities Prevention Act by the federal National Investigation Agency [NIA], accused of terrorism, linked to the 2018 riots in Bhima Koregaon in Maharashtra state, despite not having visited there in decades, and having alleged links to India’s Maoists.
Fifteen others including poets, lawyers, activists and writers, many of whom had been outspoken against the BJP were also arrested along with Father Swamy. They were accused of orchestrating the violence, having links to violent Maoist groups and plotting to assassinate the prime minister, Narendra Modi; charges he and others vehemently denied.
This year, a United States digital analyst found that a hacker had used software to plant 22 forged, “incriminating” files on the computer of one of the accused, which the police then used as evidence to arrest Father Swamy and others.
In his plea to the court, he had said, ‘I am asking you to consider why and how this deterioration of my health has occurred. [. . .] I don’t think it would make any difference. Whatever happens, I want to be able to be with my people’
Despite his advanced age and health issues, the NIA consistently rejected requests for bail—even on an interim basis, at one point claiming that the priest’s condition was “hemodynamically stable”—a medical term that simply means that the heart is pumping blood at a stable rate and the body enjoys good circulation [Sunday Examiner, May 30]. On May 22, he refused to go to a public hospital, asking to be released to die among his people.
In his plea to the court, he had said, “I am asking you to consider why and how this deterioration of my health has occurred. [. . .] I don’t think it would make any difference. Whatever happens, I want to be able to be with my people.”
Since Father Swamy’s death occured in judicial custody, the court had also directed that the inquest and post-mortem to be conducted before handing his body over for a funeral in keeping with restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Father Swamy was known for his work and advocacy among the marginalised communities, among them the Dalits and Adivasis, and for standing up for tribal rights.
A poet and author, Meena Kandasamy, mourned his death saying: “Let us not talk about this as mere death. This is a judicial murder and everyone is complicit.”
A lawyer and activist, Prashant Bhushan, said it was “nothing less than murder by the state of one of the gentlest and kindest men I have known. Unfortunately, our judicial system is also complicit in this.”
Harsh Mander, another prominent activist, described Father Swamy as “devoted to the selfless defence of Adivasi [indigenous] rights, gentle, brave. Even from prison, he grieved not for himself but injustice to poor prisoners.” He added: “A cruel state jailed him to silence his voice; the judiciary did nothing to secure his freedom. A tragedy for the nation.”
A memorial Mass was held for Father Swamy at Saint Peters Church on Tuesday, July 7. The Bombay High Court on Monday, July 6 had directed that his body be handed over to Father Frazer Mascarenhas, the former principal of St Xavier’s College in Mumbai and the parish priest of the church.
Since Father Swamy’s death occured in judicial custody, the court had also directed that the inquest and post-mortem to be conducted before handing his body over for a funeral in keeping with restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Father Swamy was born on 26 April 1937 in Tamil Nadu. He had been a Jesuit for 64 years and a priest for 51 years.
