Human rights activist Stan Swamy passed away on Monday, July 5 at the age of 84.
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“We are starting an indefinite vigil. All of us are angry, really angry at what has happened to him. The judiciary has systematically denied him bail. Here is a man who has worked all his life for the rights of marginalised people,” said activist Leo Saldanha. Words of shock, mourning and criticism rippled across the country and social media on Monday, July 5 after the death of human rights activist Stan Swamy. The 84-year-old was repeatedly denied bail requests despite his deteriorating health over nine months in jail, and activists lamented the inhumane treatment against Swamy in the last months of his life. Others said his death amounted to “judicial murder.” “Fr Stan Swamy was a living saint. He has written multiple letters from the Taloja prison on how he was treated by the authorities. These letters are not going anywhere, we have them and we will put them up for everyone to read. This is black day in the history of free India.” Swamy, a Jesuit priest, had been undergoing treatment at Holy Family Hospital, where he had been shifted after an order by the High Court on May 28. His lawyer announced his passing on Monday, stating that he had suffered from a cardiac arrest on Saturday, and his health had quickly deteriorated in the days after. Swamy suffered multiple health ailments, including Parkison’s disease. Earlier this year, he sought interim bail on health grounds, and had tested positive for the coronavirus in June, after which he was shifted to the ICU at a private hospital. Last year, Swamy requested a sipper and straw due to his battle with Parkinson’s disease, which can cause tremors and muscle spasms, making it difficult to chew and swallow. It was only after more than four weeks did Tiloja jail authorities grant his request. “Father Stan Swamy spent a lifetime working for the dispossessed and the disadvantaged. His tragic death is a case of judicial murder, for which the Home Ministry and the Courts are jointly culpable,” author and historian Ramachandra Guha tweeted on Monday afternoon. Fr Lourduraj Ignacimuthu, the Dean of Mass Communication at Andhra Loyola College, had known Swamy for 12 years. He used to visit him in Ranchi when he lived there. On Monday, he recalled the impact of Swamy’s work with tribal communities across India. “He never said anything against anybody and was a strong crusader for the tribal cause. When the BJP government was trying to take away the lands from the tribals, he was working with many activists for the cause. Though he was born in Tamil Nadu, he belonged to the Jamshedpur province. He took up the cause of the tribals. We have 5 Jesuit provinces in tribal areas and around 40% of the Jesuits in India work there. Fr Stan Swamy chose to work in the tribal areas.” Swamy was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) from his home in Ranchi after he was accused in the Elgar-Parishad Maoists links case in October 2020. He was said to be the oldest person accused of terrorism in India. “I don’t know what the NIA people found in his room, because I remember his room as being empty. He had absolutely nothing except two chairs. He couldn’t write and hence relied on people. He never looked like a strong person, but when he spoke he came across as a very strong person. He never minced his words,” Fr Lourduraj Ignacimuthu said. “Whenever he spoke on issues, he spoke eloquently. He died for the tribal cause. The tribal cause was at the centre of his mission. As Jesuits we are all given a mission. He was on a mission for the tribals. It is rather difficult to accept the loss. He is more of an intellectual or an idealogue. When he went to hospital we knew it was going to be difficult for him to come back home. We feel sad to hear about his death, but the issue he fought for is there with us. The way he fought, many will be inspired by his work.” Several leaders took to Twitter to express condolences as well. Heartfelt condolences on the passing of Father Stan Swamy. He deserved justice and humaneness. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 5, 2021 Deeply saddened by the passing of Fr. Stan Swamy. Unjustifiable that a man who fought all through his life for our society's most downtrodden, had to die in custody. Such travesty of justice should have no place in our democracy. Heartfelt condolences! — Pinarayi Vijayan (@vijayanpinarayi) July 5, 2021 Sad to learn of Fr #StanSwamy's passing. A humanitarian & man of God whom our government could not treat with humanity. Deeply saddened as an Indian. RIP. https://t.co/aOB6T0iHU9 — Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) July 5, 2021
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