St. Peter’s Church in Bandra put out a message recently in support of Elgar Parishad-accused Father Stan Swamy on its board facing Hill Road. The message on the board, which was spotted and shared online by several locals reads, “We pray for Jesuit Fr Stan Swamy in jail for two thirty three days and counting”. The 84-year-old Jesuit priest is soon going to be shifted to Holy Family Hospital, which is near the church, for 15 days, according to an order by the Bombay High Court on Friday.

When Mid-day reached out to parish priest Fr Frazer Mascarenhas to understand the sentiment behind the message, he said, “We are telling the people to pray for one of our own who has been victimised.” Fr Swamy was arrested in October 2020 in connection with the Elgar Parishad case and had been lodged at the Taloja jail.