5 July – Third Death Anniversary of Fr. Stan Swamy SJ
P. A. Chacko, S. J
July 5th! A black day in the Indian land of democracy. The day that saw the cruel Indian State apparatus dealing a death blow on social activist and Jesuit priest Stan Swamy.
The merciless and cunning State power had arrested him on false charges of colluding with Maoist forces to overthrow the State.
The National Investigating Agency’s unearthing chargeable (false) evidence was exposed by US based Arsel Digital analysis company. The findings of the company showed that over fifty cooked up pieces of evidence were planted by an infiltrator on Stan Sway’s computer.
NIA arrested him on 8 October 2020 and had him jailed under the draconian Anti-Terrorist law.
A sick man in his eighties with Parkinson’s disease and shivering hands, Swamy had to suffer the cruelty and ignominy of having been denied even a straw to sip water.
Swamy died in incarceration even as the nation had a shudder down its nerve centre. He gave up fighting for justice even as his Jesuit colleagues appeared helpless. The institutional power of the Jesuit organisation and its wide network of literati and glitterati world of old students professionals and bureaucrats, without a whimper, allowed Swami to be slaughtered like a lamb by the State power.
The problem with Swami was that he was not a ritual priest. Rather, he preached and lived as a prophetic priest after his Master Jesus. That made a difference. So, like the prophets of old, whose armour was justice and whose breastplate courage, Swamy had to suffer.
The death of Swamy does not go in vain. It is a slap on the arrogant and unjust State power. It is a slap on the face of those who could not stand in solidarity with him for the cause of the downtrodden.
Swamy lives on in the hearts of the poor and exploited masses with his hardcore ideology of justice, liberation, freedom, and truth.
My respects to him! SALAAM!