Jesuit priest, tribal rights activist, and protector of our Constitutional rights, Fr Stanislaus Louruswamy, passed away on Monday, July 5. The 84-year-old priest, fondly known as Stan Swamy, faced a very challenging time in prison as he struggled with Parkinson’s disease, endured numerous interrogations, required the help of other prisoners to perform his basic needs, was denied bail, and was even denied decent medical care, before the court finally granted the ailing Fr Swamy to be moved from Taloja prison to Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai.
Born on April 26, 1937 to Lourduswamy and Kitheriammal in Viragalur, Tamil Nadu, Stan joined the Society of Jesus in 1957. He studied at St Joseph’s High School, Trichy, graduated from St Xavier’s College, Ranchi, did his philosophical studies from Sacred Heart College, Shembaganur, and his theological studies from Loyola House of Studies, Manila.
He continued with postgraduate studies in Sociology from Ateneo de Manila, Philippines, and an M.Phil in Social Analysis from the Centre de Recherches Socio-Religieuses, Belgium. He put these studies to good use by helping people to study the context, reflect, act, and evaluate various kinds of socio-economic interventions.
Over the last fifty years, Stan gave his blood, sweat, and tears to emancipate the downtrodden while he worked in Jamshedpur and Chaibasa (1971-1974 and 1996-2001), Indian Social Institute Bangalore (1975-1986), TRTC St Xavier’s, Lupungutu (1993-1995), and Bagaicha, Ranchi (2002-2020).
Stan selflessly served the Adivasis, the Dalits, and the downtrodden. That was his way of showing his love for the Constitution of India, by standing up to politicians and mighty corporates, and fighting for the Jal, Jamin, and Jangal (water, land, and forest) rights of the oppressed, over the decades.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren praised Fr Swamy saying that he “has been working in Jharkhand for years, in the remote faraway villages, wandering in the jungles, just so that the Adivasis, Dalits, and minority populations can be reached.”
Justice Deepak Gupta said, “Dissent is essential in a democracy.” The RSS-backed ruling government, however, does not take dissent lightly. On the night of October 8, 2021, Stan was arrested at Bagaicha, the Jesuit residence near Ranchi in Jharkhand, flown the very next morning to Mumbai, and imprisoned under serious allegations that he was involved in the Bhima Koregaon violence of January 1, 2018.
Stan was incarcerated with other dissenters “ lawyers, human rights activists, journalists and academicians “ booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the UAPA - Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, a stringent anti-terror law.
Many people from different parts of the world were outraged in November 2020 when the NIA delayed providing the Parkinson’s-afflicted Stan with a sipper and straw. Even so, Stan continued to inspire. He was the caged bird who did not stop singing.
While his fellow prisoners helped him to eat and drink, to bathe and wash his clothes, Stan sent out little messages of hope: “Despite all odds, humanity is bubbling in Taloja prison.” He wrote after 100 days in prison, that news of people’s solidarity gave him “immense strength and courage.”
He also wrote: “We 16 co-accused have not been able to meet each other, despite being in the same jail… but we will still sing in chorus. A caged bird can still sing.”
Fr Jerry Cutinha, the Jamshedpur Jesuit Provincial, said the Author of Life gave Fr Swamy “a mission to work among the Adivasis, Dalits, and other marginalized communities so that the poor may have life and life to the full, with dignity and honour.”
For all human rights activists in India who struggle under tremendous pressure, for all those media personnel who are branded “desh drohi” or “anti-nationals”, for all those who desire to protect our Constitutional freedoms, for all those who stand up for truth and justice, and for all those who are unjustly incarcerated, Fr Stan Swamy’s life is a beacon of hope.
(The writer is Provincial of the Goa Province of the Jesuits)
