‘Fr Stan may be gone, but fight will go on’

People pay homage to Fr Stan Swamy at St Peter’s Church in Bandra. Pic/Atul Kamble

A small funeral with 20 attendees, most of them Jesuit priests, was held at Bandra's St Peter's Church on Tuesday at 4 pm in remembrance of Fr Stan Swamy, 84, one of the incarcerated Bhima Koregaon-16 (BK-16) who breathed his last at Holy Family Hospital on Monday while in custody of the court. The Holy Eucharist, organised by Fr Stan's close friend and confidante Fr Frazer Mascarenhas, was broadcast live over YouTube.

Although the number of attendees inside the church was limited to 20 amid Covid restrictions, a group of people, most of them members of the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), sporting banners and placards paying homage to Swamy, had gathered outside the church. "We condemn this institutional murder," said Dolfi Dsouza, spokesperson for the BCS. "Fr Stan who was falsely implicated was the voice of the voiceless Adivasis whose cause for their rights he espoused. The Bombay Catholic Sabha has resolved to carry on his legacy of fighting for social justice and human rights for the Adivasis, Dalits, minorities, and other vulnerable communities. We demand that all the social activists and intellectuals jailed in the Bhima Koregaon case be released. We also demand the repeal of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA)."

A supporter of Fr Stan Swamy outside St Peter's Church in Bandra on Tuesday. Pic/Atul Kamble

Fr Frazer said, "It is tragic to have lost a person like Stan. At the same time, it is our duty to finish what he had started. The funeral primarily focused on the symbol of inspiration that Stan is, and all that he has done for the cause of justice - primarily working for the freedom of those who are disadvantaged. When I spoke to Stan, he had mentioned that around 4,000 tribals are lodged in jail in Jharkhand. The focus now is also on the BK-15 because they are still in jail. Stan might be gone, but this entire group [BK-15] is a part of the Stan family."

Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan's death in judicial custody has drawn condolences from all sections of society - including the court(s). Mascarenhas said that the determination to continue what Fr Stan was involved in stood out during the funeral. "The readings during the Holy Eucharist ceremony were picked specifically to inspire us. One of them was a reading from the Old Testament which speaks of our forefathers wrestling with God, which is exactly what Stan was doing - asking God to guide him in his work for justice. However, it was the second reading that truly stood out - about how Jesus was condemned to death by a selfish political authority concerned only about his own power - which is very similar to what happened to Stan. This reading was deliberately chosen so that it inspires us to do something." Fr Stan Swamy's body was then taken to be cremated to Shivaji Park. Mascarenhas said, "I appreciated my last one month with Fr Stan. It was really inspiring to be in his company and talk to him and support him through this order. It felt like a privilege, even though it ended in an unfortunate way."