Around 60 civil society and rights organisations in India have defied pressure from a Hindu nationalist student group to host a memorial lecture honouring Jesuit Father Stan Swamy, a tribal rights activist who died in custody four years ago.
The lecture was originally scheduled for 9 August at St Xavier’s College in Mumbai to mark the anniversary of Swamy’s death, but it was cancelled after protests from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which claimed the event would “glorify a person accused of anti-national conspiracies.”
In response, 58 organisations joined forces to organise an alternative lecture on 13 September in Mumbai, attended by about 200 people in person and a further 1,000 online. The keynote address was delivered by a Vatican official of tribal background, who highlighted the exploitation faced by women and girls forced to migrate from Jharkhand to India’s cities.
Swamy, who dedicated his life to defending the rights of tribal communities, was arrested in 2020 on charges of sedition and links to terrorism, accusations widely criticised as politically motivated. He died in July 2021 at the age of 84 while still in custody.
Speakers at the lecture, including lawyers Mihir Desai and Indira Jaising, described Swamy as a man who lived simply among tribal people and consistently defended their rights against land grabs by industry. Jaising urged participants to continue his struggle against mining companies displacing vulnerable communities.
Jesuit Father Frazer Mascarenhas, former principal of St Xavier’s College, said the memorial lectures began after Swamy’s death in 2021 and would continue despite opposition. “The threats disrupted this year’s event, but they have only strengthened resolve,” he said.
John Dayal of the All India Catholic Union noted that the initiative has now grown beyond its original organisers, becoming a national expression of solidarity. Jesuit Father Cedric Prakash described the memorial as a “powerful demonstration that the spirit and legacy of Stan Swamy still live on.”
Adapted from UCA News.
