Elgar Parishad case accused Father Stan Swamy passes away

Mumbai: Human and tribal rights activist and an accused in the alleged Elgar Parishad case Father Stan Swamy died in a hospital here on Monday. He was 84.

Doctors of Holy Family Hospital, Bandra, informed Bombay High Court about Swamy's death during the hearing of his bail plea on medical grounds.The octogenarian was put on a ventilator support on Sunday as he was facing difficulty in breathing due to fluctuating oxygen level.

He was admitted to the hospital in May this year on the directions of the High Court over the appeal by his council for a medical treatment as he had complained of illness to the jail authorities.

Swamy, already a patient of Parkinson’s disease, tested positive for COVID-19, and was shifted to Intensive Care Unit of the hospital.The Jesuit priest was arrested in October 2020 in connection with alleged Elgar Parishad case and lodged Taloja central jail.

The case pertains to violence that marred the bicentenary of Bhima-Koregaon war in Pune in 2018. It was alleged that the violence was ignited by an event "Elgar Parishad" held a day earlier--Dec 31, 2017--where several activists having 'Maoist' links participated.

Father Stan Swamy had come to Jharkhand in the year 1991 from Kerala and here he had worked for the rights of the tribals. He often use to say that though Jharkhand has been blessed with mineral wealth but despite that tribals are poor in Jharkhand.

Father Stan Swamy had done his MA in Sociology and after working in the Indian Social Institute in Bengaluru he had come to Jharkhand. In his initial days, he had served as a priest but slowly started raising his voices over the rights of the tribals and other neglected groups. He on one side started 'Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan' while in Namkum of the capital Ranchi he started a school and technical training institute for the tribal children.

Before his arrest, in October 2000 a team of the NIA had conducted raids at the house of the Father in 2019 and had taken away the hard disk of his computer and modem. His arrest had drawn sharp criticism from Chief Minister Hemant Soren, Catholic Church and other social and tribal activists.

In Jharkhand, Father Stan Swamy had staged agitation against the Uranium Corporation in 1996 and was also responsible for stopping the construction of a bridge in Chaibasa through his agitation. He had actively worked among the tribals in Bokaro and other districts of Santhal Pargana and in 2010 had penned a book 'Jail Mein Bandh Kaidiyon Ka Sach' (the truth behind prisoners lodged in jail).

Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson disease and other geriatric ailments.After Swamy filed an application seeking bail on medical grounds, the Bombay High Court on May 28, 2021, directed the Maharashtra government to transfer ailing the 84-year-old tribal rights activist to the Holy Family Hospital from Taloja Central Jail for treatment.

While undergoing treatment, he had tested positive for Covid-19. One of the oldest to be charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Father Swamy suffered from acute Parkinsons, hearing loss in both ears, had undergone two hernia operations. He also suffered intense pain due to lumbar spondylosis (wear and tear of the lumbar disc, and tremors in both hands).

Chief Minister Hemant Soren has expressed his grief over the demise of the tribal rights activists and has blamed the centre for its apathy and not providing medical assistance on time.

"Shocked to learn about the demise of Father Stan Swamy. He dedicated his life to working for tribal rights. I had strongly opposed his arrest and incarceration. The Union Govt should be answerable for absolute apathy and non-provision of timely medical services, leading to his death," he wrote on Twitter.(UNI)