JUSTICE FOR FR. STAN SWAMY

Fr. Stan Swamy, a Jesuit Priest and a defender of human rights died in court custody on 5th July, 2021. He spent three decades of his life defending the rights of adivasis but unfortunately he was arrested and put in prison for a crime he was accused of but not convicted. Fr. Stan had denied all charges against him.

He and his work was acknowledged in public

From the time he was imprisoned till the time of his death, the media houses covered extensively about his work and about his unjust imprisonment. Most of the political leaders and others expressed their sadness at his death; the inhuman treatment that he faced and injustice received on different occasions.

He is not forgotten

It is now a little more than a month since his death and now he is no longer in the news. Some of us may tend to forget about Fr. Stan and his work, but, the people for whom he fought would and should never forget him and his work. In fact, they should take up the cause and continue fighting for their rights.

He deserved justice then and deserves justice now

Fr. Stan fought for the rights of the people. While fighting for this noble cause, he experienced hardships and faced injustice at every stage. A man who stood for justice, himself faced injustice and paid the price for a just cause. Though, during his lifetime Fr. Stan did not get justice, it is now our duty to do justice to him, by continuing his work which he started and by requesting the different authorities to clear his name from the crime which he never committed. These two actions of ours will truly give him justice.

Death is not the end but it is the beginning

By arresting Fr. Stan and putting him in prison, the authorities tried to put an end to his fight for justice. They used the age old trick mentioned in the Bible of striking the leader and the flock getting scattered. In a normal case too, the death of any leader will scatter their followers because they will be sheep without a shepherd. This is exactly what the authorities wanted - by his arrest and his subsequent unfortunate death, they have put an end to his work. But, for the people for whom Fr. Stan tirelessly worked, it is not an end but the beginning.

Let us pray that Fr. Stan’s hard work will not go in vain but will bear fruit in plenty. Like him, all leaders fighting for justice should know that they may not see the result during their lifetime but it may bear fruit after their death. The leaders sow the seeds but the result is seen later by the people. The followers of Fr. Stan Swamy should come forward and work together to give him justice.

Fr. Vincent Barboza