MURDER OF A PROPHET:
Father Stan was murdered.
He was murdered because he believed in the truth. He had the courage to
speak the truth to the power. But the power did not have the honesty to listen
to the truth. The power was and is
wedded to the economically powerful. The
power works for and defend the interests of the economically powerful.
Stan could not have been killed like Gowri Lankesh, Gowind
Pansare and M. M. Kalburgi. Stan was living in the midst of Adivasis in
Jharkhand area. The Adivasis’ organized
nature was a great protection to Stan, whom they considered as their leader and
savior. The state could not find any
ground on which they could arrest him.
They had to plant incriminating documents into his computer to show to
the world that he was plotting against the Indian State. He was linked to the Bhima Koregaon
case. He never went to Bhima Koregaon,
nor did he have any link or knowledge about the event there.
Stan Swamy was killed only because he was working with the
Adivasis, fighting along with the Adivasis for the implementation of “Forest Right
Act” (FRA, 2006) and of PESA (Panchayat Extension to Schedule Area, 1996) that
ensured the right of the Adivasis for their self-rule, guaranteed in the fifth
Schedule of the constitution of India.
Stan had heavily relied on the scientific understanding of
the society. He has been analysing the
economic, political and social structures of the society.
If there is a massive poverty in India it is because there
are rich people in India. Poverty is a
direct consequence of the fact of rich having control on the wealth of the
world. The rich not only have the
control on the wealth of the society, they have political power to keep them in
their position of wealth and power. The
entire economic, political and social system in the country begets
poverty. He used to quote Julius Nyerere,
the then President of Tanzania saying.
“Just as when it rains, the water flows from the driest region to the
lakes and seas where there is abundance of water the wealth from the hands of the
poor flows into the hands of the rich who are already very rich. The rich not only have wealth but they have
power over the lives of the poor. The
economic and political system that exists in the society functions in such a
way that the rich become richer and the poor become poorer as a consequence of
naturally functioning of the organization of the society.
In the context of the Jharkhand tribal areas, he perceived
that the Adivasis who are original inhabitants (indigenous people) of the place
were cheated, exploited and oppressed by the urban rich. These people have right to the land on which
they have been living for thousands of years owned that land. But their land possessed world’s richest
minerals. The Adivasis were the owners
of the land therefore they were also the owners of the wealth beneath their
land. The urban sharks, like Adanis
wanted to displaced the Adivasis and extract the minerals from the Adivasis’
land. Several corporations had come to
the area with money and technology to mine the place. The Adivasis were united and they wanted to
know what plans these sharks had and how the wealth beneath the soil going to
be shared. They demanded that they
should get 50% of the wealth beneath their land. These cronies had to go empty handed. Father Stan and the Organization of the
Adivasis were the biggest hurdle in the path of the Adanies of India. Hence it was essential to take Fr. Stan out
of their path.
Stan was booked under UAPA.
UAPA does not allow the accused bale.
Once accused the onus of proving innocent lies on the accused. UAPA deprives the accused their citizenship. Going by the treatment Stan received UAPA
treats the accused unfit for any human care.
Fr. Stan has been part of the Jesuit Society, a society
which has made the largest contribution to India in the field of
education. They have the most
prestigious education institutions in which many of our politicians, even from
BJP party, have studies. Fr. Stan did
not believe in violence. Due to his vow
of poverty, he did not have a bank account and for his needs he will have to go
to his superiors to get money for that.
He was never involved in any conflict or social disturbance. The
investigating agency had to fabricate evidences and plant in his computer. Both investigating agency and the judiciary
hatched a plot to kill him exactly in the manner he died. They have blood on their hands. There is no way we can explain why he was not
given medical care, his multiple illnesses were not taken note of, he was not
provided sipper to help him to drink water.
They allowed his health to deteriorate to the point of no return. They now feel they have no role in his
death. But the world knows that they
have blood on their hand.
Father Stan came to Indian Social Institute, Training Centre
Bangalore in 1975. He took over the
charge of the institute from Fr. Henry Volken.
Institute Social Institute was known for training social activists from
across the country.
The core of the of the training was to understand what is
development and what is poverty. There
was not doubt in the minds of the institute, represented by Fr. Volken, Fr.
Stan Lourduswamy and Duarte Barreto, that the poor and the rich are the two
sides of the same coin.
The direct consequence of this analysis is that we cannot
overcome poverty by feeding the poor.
The poor are creators of the wealth of the society. They are the ones who toil in the land and in
the factories creating wealth. What they
get in return is their wages. Along with
many social scientists Indian Social Institute believed that organizing the
exploited people is the only way to empower the poor who can fight for their
rights. He had no doubts in his mind that among the
toiling masses the Dalits and the Adivasis were the most exploited people. He opted to work for the Adivasis of
Jharkhand where he had spent a lot of time as a young Jesuit.
After his stint of about 15 years, he left to Jharkhand to
work for Adivasis. He was convinced that
he was needed in Jharkhand the most. I
have no better words to describe his conviction and commitment to the cause of
the Adivasis. I will quote his
reflection on his 50th year of priesthood.
50 yon 14th
April 2020 started off celebrating Mass with glow
as often as three masses in as many places on Sundays.
But living and sharing
life with Indigenous Adivasi People,
accompanying them in their struggles against
forcible unjust displacement,
deprival of their rights over their natural resources, denial of their
due share in the rich minerals
dug out literally from beneath their feet,
and to add insult to injury, when
they stood up to protest against injustice meted out to them, were thrown into
jails in umpteen numbers . . . started
asking myself what ‘priesthood’ would mean in this heart-rending
reality.
What would his sacrifice
mean if not his whole life a life that
brought him to his death killed by the
powers that be
for he stood up against oppression of the poor and the weak.
I then decided to take
on the oppressive but mighty State filed a case on behalf of the thousands
of under-trial prisoners
most of whom, everybody knows, are innocent
it was then the State decided to put me out of the way.
Multiple cases filed
against me
cases as serious as ‘sedition’,
not a small solace to remind oneself that
Jesus was also accused of ‘sedition’
and paid the supreme sacrifice of his life.
Arrest-warrant issued on
me, was declared an ‘absconder’,
my
work-cum-living premise raided three times (August 2018 – October 2019) all my personal belongings (computer to
mattress & pillow) confiscated ! I now have only three things I can call my
own: my body, my mind, my
conscience.
If I was not a Jesuit,
would be literally on the street.
Life with uncertainties,
like a swinging pendulum. in one
case, ‘arrest warrant’ is still live,
can be activated anytime but for the
change in political regime.
In the second case, can be ‘promoted’ (!)
from being a ‘suspect’ to ‘accused’
and thrown behind bars.
But one thing
certain,
feel privileged to walking the Way of the Cross with Jesus and our
people being crucified.
Earnestly hoping will share his death,
a death that brought life, a new life, the
life of the Resurrection.
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