The Federation of Associations of Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi organized a memorial meeting to mark the 85th birth anniversary of the Indian Jesuit Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy.
The event took place at Diocesan Community Centre, New Delhi on April 26, 2022.
Father Stanislaus Lourduswamy, popularly known as Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist, was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on October 9, 2020, from his home in Bagaicha, Ranchi in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand state.
A petition seeking to clear his name in the case is pending before the Bombay High Court. He passed away on July 5, 2021, while in detention. He was the oldest person to be accused of terrorism in India.
A representation of Catholic priests, nuns, Catholics, and dignitaries from other faiths gave floral tribute to Father Stan at the memorial ceremony.
The Federation had invited a panel of speakers to rekindle the spirit of Stan's words and deeds.
Dr. Savarimuthu Sankar, the spokesperson of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese, said Father Stan was an apostle of truth and justice. The activist wanted to do away with the injustice meted out to the Adivasis (indigenous people). He became the victim of the unbelievable implicated Naxalism, a movement of Maoists, who are locally known as Naxals, by NIA.
Farah Naqvi, an author and activist for justice and development said there is just truth no strategy. Father Stan stood for the truth always.
She compared the life of Stan with the parable of the Sower in the Bible. He worked for the seed on the ground and sowed the flower and fruit. The parable aligns with the life of Stan, said Naqvi.
The Jesuit priest did not beg for bail from the court while in detention and he wanted justice should prevail. He was an innocent and simple man but he became a victim of hatred and Maoism.
“All the arrests were illegal and it is a sad factor that he died as a prisoner without getting justice. He made sure that injustice is not done to anyone this is what we need to do,” she said.
“Let's voice against the conspiracy which caused his imprisonment,” said Apoorvaanand, a civil society leader, and human rights commentator.
The simplicity and Christ-like life of Stan is something special and inspiring. He had a few belongings—one such was his spectacles he used to see and then he acted upon it.
After his death, he has become more powerful. Jesuits have decided to fight for the justice of the imprisoned innocents, said Jerome Stanislaus D'Souza, provincial and president of the Jesuit Conference of South Asia.
Dr. John Dayal, a human rights activist and journalist recalled the incidents after Stan's arrest.
He said international communities like the US and Japan have passed memorandum on the situation of the prisoners, the Dalit (vulnerable groups), Tribal, and women who face threats from the institutions.
He painfully remembered the past when 36 small churches were burnt in forests in 1987 in Gujarat, a western Indian state. This was an experiment against the religious minority community in India.
“What should be the mechanism against the whitewashing and brainwashing by the communal elements?” Dayal asked. In situations such as these, Stan chose to be a fire and do something for the Adivasis.
Monsignor Susai Sebastian of the Delhi Catholic Archdiocese said, “Father Stan reminds everyone that we belong to each other.”
Jesuit Father PR John, principal of Vidyajyoti College of Theology said, Stan waited for his justice but the authorities did their best to keep him away from justice.
Stan believed that truth will prevail. The instigators wanted that he should die in the prison and their whims fulfilled, John said.
Stan was a simple priest with extraordinary understanding for the voiceless Adivasis and his name is imprinted in the hearts of all those who loved his action for the neediest tribals.
Another said he lived after the life of Christ. He is an inspiration for Christians to follow Christ.
Shashidharan, Vice President of the Federation of Associations of the Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi said the legacy of Father Stan is something precious to the church. Federation aims at doing what could not be accomplished by Stan.
The vivid memories of his intense suffering and custodial death pause many questions in the minds of people who waited for his justice.
On his birth Anniversary Day there is hope that many more Stans will stand up for the rights of Adivasis, the exploited and the discriminated in society. – With inputs by Rani Punnaserril
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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