Fr Stan has breathed his last. He has finally got his freedom after being unjustly imprisoned for around 8.5 months, without getting bail.
He has gone into a land where no bail is required, into the hands of a loving father.
But a question comes to mind, when did Fr Stan die? Did he die on the 5th of July? No, Fr Stan died the day he was wrongly implicated in the Bhima-Koregaon case in which he was seemingly not connected at all. He died the day he was imprisoned. He died the day he was denied a sipper which he needed desperately on account of his physical condition.
Yes, Fr Stan died when all those right thinking, highly qualified professionals remained silent while he languished in prison, for fear of incurring the wrath of the authorities.
Fr Stan has received his reward for fighting for the rights of the downtrodden, underprivileged class of society. What reward can we expect for remaining silent while unjust treatment is meted out to others in society?
Yes, if anything, it is our conscience which has died a long time back. When are we going to speak up, when there is nobody left to speak up for us?
