PANAJI
Stating it was aghast and distraught over the arrest of Jesuit priest Fr Stan Swamy (83) by the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) with total disregard for the dignity and rights of an acclaimed human rights crusader, the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP) of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has demanded the immediate release of Fr Stan.
“The government must ensure that rights, duties and privileges of citizens across religions are safeguarded, and an atmosphere of peace and harmony in society is ensured,” stated a press note issued by CJSP Executive Secretary Fr Savio Fernandes.
In a strongly worded statement, Fr Fernandes said “the humiliation and harassment meted out to Fr Stan gives the impression of a vicious design of the Union government to target the progressive work of the Christian community, which has always been recognised as a body of loyal, law-abiding and service-minded citizens committed to nation building and actively supporting several of the government’s social welfare programmes.”
“There is now an apprehension in the community that by falsely implicating and dragging Fr Stan into an alleged criminal conspiracy of a political organisation, there is an attempt to brand Christians as anti-nationals and manufacture grounds to deny them their political space and curtail democratic rights and privileges.”
Fr Fernandes said it was well-known that Fr Stan has devoted almost five decades of his life in lobbying and advocating for the rights of the Adivasis, especially their land rights in the State of Jharkhand.
“Standing with the oppressed and voiceless sections of society has been Fr Stan’s spiritual duty of bearing witness to the central mission of his Christian faith and his calling to priesthood, which is about serving the poor and marginalised to promote social justice and peace, and cannot be equated with any political ideology and militant organisation.”
“To question the validity, legality and justness of several steps taken by the government in defence of human rights of the voiceless and victimised sections of society is the essence of any religion and also of our Indian Constitution, and should not be construed as sedition,” stated Fr Fernandes.
He said it was shameful that in independent democratic India, “an octogenarian who suffers from several morbidities is arrested from his home after dusk by intelligence agencies and flown out of the State overnight, in what appears to be malicious accusations of having links with some alleged political conspiracy.”
“In such times of a life-threatening Covid-19 pandemic and SOPs requiring citizens above 65 years of age to remain at home, such insensitive and high-handed behaviour of a national government agency poses a grave threat to the life of this Catholic priest.”
“Fr Stan was no absconder from the law neither a terrorist, and has fully cooperated with investigating agencies in July-August by even providing detailed statements to prove his non-involvement in any conspiracy,” added Fr Fernandes.
