HONG KONG (SE): The 83-year-old Jesuit Father Stan Swamy, activist and defender of tribal rights in Jharkhand state, northern India, was arrested on 8 October 2020 on charges of “dangerous terrorism.” Although suffering from Parkinson’s disease, Father Stan has been held behind the bars near Mumbai for over 100 days.
In a letter from prison, he writes that his cellmates helps him bathe, wash his clothes and even feed him as he is unable to take care of these basic needs on his own owing to Parkinson’s disease and his advanced age. “Despite everything, humanity overflows in Taloja prison,” he writes.
Father Stan has spent over five decades of his priestly life at the service of the tribal people and the downtrodden in Jharkhand, relentlessly working to protect the land rights of the indigenous tribals in the forest region. His interventions often went against the interests of the powers-that-be.
Although shut behind bars, the activist priest continues to raise his voice on behalf of the voiceless.
In his letter from prison, Father Stan reveals the plight of his companions under-trials (those awaiting a court trial, with no idea of the charges or how long it will take) in the cell.
“A majority of them come from economically and socially weaker communities. Many of such poor under-trials don’t know what charges have been put on them, have not seen their charge sheet and just remain in prison for years without any legal or other assistance… A caged bird can still sing,” the letter from Father Stan reads.
The tribal people form the economically backward class in India and are easily subjected to exploitation by the rich. Christian Missionaries working for the cause of the poor by resisting exploitation are silenced either by labelling them as supporting terrorism or through accusations of luring or forcing people to convert to Christianity.
Both charges are of particular interest to the Hindu groups which enjoy the majority in the central government.
