Stanislaus Lourduswamy (26 April 1937 – 5 July 2021), known as Father Stan Swamy, was an Indian Jesuit priest and activist who worked for the rights of Adivasi communities in Jharkhand for about three decades. In October 2020, at eighty-three, he was arrested under an anti-terrorism law in the Bhima Koregaon case, becoming the oldest person in India to face such charges. He died nine months later while still a prisoner awaiting bail, and his death drew criticism of the authorities from within India and abroad.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Stanislaus Lourduswamy |
| Born | 26 April 1937, Viragalur, Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Died | 5 July 2021 (aged 84), Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| Occupation | Jesuit priest, social activist |
| Known for | Adivasi rights in Jharkhand |
| Order | Society of Jesus (joined 1957) |
| Institution | Bagaicha, Ranchi |
Early Life
Swamy was born into a farming family in a village near Tiruchirappalli and studied at a Jesuit school. He joined the Society of Jesus in 1957. As a young seminarian he was sent to teach in a school at Chaibasa, in what is now Jharkhand, his first contact with Adivasi life. He studied theology and sociology in the Philippines in the late 1960s and was ordained a priest in 1970.
Work
From 1975 to 1986 he was director of the Indian Social Institute in Bengaluru, a Jesuit centre that trained community organisers and social workers from across the country.
He then moved permanently to Jharkhand, living for some years in a village among the Ho people before settling in Ranchi. He worked with movements against displacement by dams, mines and firing ranges, and campaigned for the proper application of the constitutional and legal protections for tribal areas, including the law giving village assemblies a say over land and resources and the Forest Rights Act. In 2006 he helped found Bagaicha, a Jesuit social centre on the edge of Ranchi where he lived in a single room.
In his last years his main concern was the large number of young Adivasis jailed as suspected Maoists. A study he helped conduct of about a hundred such prisoners found that most said they had no link with the insurgents, and he filed a petition in the Jharkhand High Court on behalf of some three thousand undertrials seeking speedy trial and release on bail.
Arrest
The National Investigation Agency searched his room twice and on 8 October 2020 arrested him in the Bhima Koregaon case, which concerns violence near Pune on 1 January 2018 and an alleged Maoist conspiracy; sixteen writers, lawyers and activists were charged. He was accused under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In a video recorded before his arrest he said he had never been to Bhima Koregaon and that documents attributed to him had been placed on his computer.
He was held in Taloja jail near Mumbai. He had Parkinson’s disease and could not hold a glass steadily; his request for a straw and sipper cup took about a month to be met, an episode that was widely reported. A special court refused him bail on medical grounds.
Death
He contracted Covid-19 in jail and in May 2021 the Bombay High Court ordered him moved to a private hospital. He died there on 5 July 2021, as the court was about to hear his bail appeal. United Nations human rights officials and many Indian public figures expressed dismay. In 2022 an American forensic firm engaged by his lawyers reported that incriminating files had been planted on his computer by a hacker; the investigating agency has disputed such findings.
Legacy
Friends remembered him as a gentle, stubborn man who owned almost nothing. His prison writings were published as I Am Not a Silent Spectator.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where was Stan Swamy born?
Stan Swamy was born on 26 April 1937 in Viragalur, Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India.
When did Stan Swamy die?
Died: 5 July 2021 (aged 84), Mumbai, Maharashtra.
What is Stan Swamy known for?
Known for: Adivasi rights in Jharkhand.
Featured image: Father Stan Swamy speaking at a meeting in 2010. Photo by Khetfield59, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
