'He's a torchbearer of the Constitution' say father Stan Swamy's peers

For Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy true religion is standing for justice humanity and truth His ideas made many within the Church uncomfortable To them he was a radical of sorts But this was his lifes mission and many activists including myself were inspired by his journey says Tony PM a freelance researcher and social activist in Ranchi who has been associated with the 83yearold Jesuit priest since 1993On October 8 Fr Lourduswamy known among peers as Fr Stan Swamy was arrested by the National Investigation Agency NIA in the Elgar Parishad case He is being investigated for his alleged links with the banned Communist Party of India Maoist and instigating caste violence in Bhima Koregaon in Pune district making him the 16th person to be arrested in the case since June 2018 and also the oldest person to be accused of terrorism in IndiaAiling and frail Fr Stan say observers dedicated his life to uplift the marginalised and Adivasis of Jharkhand When he was dragged into the controversy it befuddled many After the NIA court rejected his interim bail plea last week activists including members of the Adivasi Adhikar Manch took to the streets to protest his incarceration Earlier this week the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences FABC called for his release Closer home Cardinal Oswald Gracias of Bombay had urged prayers for the priestBorn on April 26 1937 in a village in Tamil Nadus Tiruchirappalli Fr Stan took a shine to social service early Inspired by the work of the Jesuit priests whom he came in contact with during his time at St Josephs School he decided to join the order in undivided Bihar From then on the north Indian state became his adopted homeAfter a stint as teacher at the St Xaviers High School Lupungutu Chaibasa in the 1960s he went to Manila in the Philippines in 1967 to study theology He returned to the Jesuit Jamshedpur Province in 1971 where he was made Director of the Catholic Relief Service This is also when his activism took root He spent time with the Ho tribe learning their language and moved to Badaibir village where he worked with the youth But he realised that if he continued to work in the village hed be tied down to a small area He wanted to bring the fruits of his work to a maximum number of people Tony shares in a telephonic interviewA long stint at the Indian Social Institute Bangalore from 1975 to 1990 kept him away from home for a while This is where Mumbaibased Fr Frazer Mascarenhas first became aware of Fr Stans advocacy Fr Mascarenhas who is manager of St Stanislaus High School and former principal of St Xaviers College Mumbai has been most vocal in his support for the Jharkhand priest Fr Swamy was the director of the institute for about 12 years He used to organise courses for all of us on social analysis I remember attending one of these He was quite passionate about the poor the Dalits and Adivasis and wanted to understand what is leading to their impoverishment and continuing powerlessness despite years of freedom and a Constitution which gives everyone the right to aspire for the fruits of development He was one of those who gave us a very good perspective and analytical view of Indian society recalls Fr MascarenhasWhen he completed his term as director he once again returned home to work at the grassroots He knew that if change had to be made it would have to be done at a policy level Thats why he shifted to Ranchi says Tony who joined him a few years later When I met Fr Stan he was already living with Parkinsons disease But that didnt come in the way of his work He would ride the motorbike from Ranchi to Chaibasa 139 km away three to four times a week so that he could build a strong network of activists says TonyFr Stans main mission was to make the Adivasis aware of their land rights He was a critic of the governments attempts to amend land lawsmdashthe Land Acquisition Act in Jharkhand being among themmdashand a strong advocate of the Chota Nagpur Tenancy Act the Santhal Pargana Tenancy Act and Panchayats Extension to Scheduled Areas Act instituted to protect Adivasi land PESA gave power to the gram sabhas to control resources and acquisition of land for the Adivasis Otherwise the community would be assimilated into the big ocean called the mainstream Unfortunately these resources were being diverted elsewhere says TonyHe highlights his focus on the cause as his most remarkable quality He had his ear to the ground Every time there was a new policy that he felt would affect the Adivasis hed read about it and write articles Hed then distribute his pieces among his network of activists to spread awarenessSiraj Dutta a member of the Jharkhand Janadhikar Mahasabha says the priest was a sympathiser of all civil and social movements I have known him for seven years and his life revolved around empowering the gram sabhas But in the past few years he also raised issues about hunger deaths and moblynchingAnother important cause that he got involved in a few years ago was finding the true story behind Adivasi prisoners many of whom were accused of joining the Naxals We filed many RTIs and managed to get data from jails on the number of Adivasis arrested Fr Stan and I also visited those who had been released on bail Of the 102 people we met only three said they had something to do with the Maoists Based on this research we even published a report says TonyThere were many naysayers within the Church and outside but he insulated himself from the noise We were aware of his activism even here in Mumbai says Fr Mascarenhas who says Fr Stans involvement in the Elgar Parishad is farfetched Anyone who knows him will say that this allegation is not true Most importantly it goes against our Jesuit The Society of Jesus very ethos At the moment he is very ill Because of Parkinsons hes unable to lift a glass of water He has hearing loss in both ears and recently underwent surgery In this condition how did the government think it wise to arrest him he asksDutta says that ever since his house was raided two years ago Fr Stan had cooperated with the agencies He has repeatedly clarified that he has not been to BhimaKoregaon but he was arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities Prevention Act The manner in which it all panned out was ruthlessFr Mascarenhas describes him as a torchbearer of the Constitution If Fr Stan has to be arrested all of us should also be arrested We are all sympathisersKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news