Remembering Fr Stan Swamy- The Champion of Jal, Jungle, and Zameen by Anish Esteves
On the afternoon of 5th July, hours before a hearing of Fr Stan Swamy’s Bail application at the Bombay High court was scheduled to come up, came the grim news. He had passed away a few moments earlier. A wave of shock and grief gripped the country and the world at large. Born in a tiny hamlet of the southern state of Tamil Nadu on 26th April 1937, Fr Swamy was instrumental for his activism with regards to the downtrodden and the Adivasis. Fr Swamy engaged with the tribal people of Jharkhand and also wrote extensively on their plight and offered solutions. As an Activist, he campaigned vociferously whenever the tribals suffered atrocities at the hands of the government or were denied their rights. Fr Swamy always believed that tribal activism is the best way to effect changes in the tribal society. Be it water rights, land rights, or even constitutional rights, Fr Swamy tirelessly took up various issues that concerned the tribal community. In fact, in the year 2016, he conducted a study on Adivasi prisoners and found that the proportion of undertrials languishing in jails is far higher than their proportion of the population! Fr Swamy’s case will forever remain a blot on the country’s history. Having being held on charges under the Indian Penal code and the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the controversial Bhima Koregaon violence case, Fr Swamy was arrested in October of 2020 from his house in Ranchi in the eastern state of Jharkhand. Fr Stan applied on health grounds for bail, only to be rejected by the court. Suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Fr Swamy asked for a sipper, so that he could drink water without spilling it. However, the jail authorities rejected his request. Fr Swamy’s incident also brings to focus the tyrannical use of the Unlawful (Activities) Prevention Act, also known as the UAPA. One observes that this law is being applied in cases that have nothing to do with terrorism per se. Ironically, when the Elgar Parishad riots took place in 2018, Fr Swamy was not present at the location. "I have never been to Bhima Koregaon for which I am being accused," he had once said. Yet, he was accused by the NIA of being involved in activities of Maoist organizations and receiving funds. Father Stan Swamy was a legend. The only way we can pay a tribute to him would be by taking the tribal community into confidence and hearing their concerns. He shall be an inspiration for generations to come. Anish Esteves @AEthejourno www.anishesteves.home.blog