1. Stanislaus Lourduswamy, SJ, popularly known as Stan Swamy, was an Indian Catholic priest, a member of the Jesuit order, and a tribal rights activist for several decades.
19 Facts About Stan Swamy
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On 8 October 2020, Stan Swamy was arrested and charged by the National Investigation Agency under the Unlawful Activities Act, for his alleged role in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence and links to the Communist Party of India.
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Stan Swamy was suffering from Parkinson's disease and had requested bail on medical grounds, which was rejected multiple times.
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Stan Swamy was born on 26 April 1937 in Viragalur, a village in present-day Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu, India.
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Stan Swamy later joined the Jesuits and in the 1970s, he studied theology and received a master's degree in sociology in the Philippines, where he encountered a series of protests and demonstrations against the administration.
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Stan Swamy was the director of the Jesuit-run Indian Social Institute, Bangalore, from 1975 to 1986.
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Stan Swamy worked among the tribals of central India for over three decades and had questioned the non-implementation of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which stipulates setting up of a Tribes Advisory Council with members solely of the Adivasi community for their protection, well-being and development in the state.
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Stan Swamy was implicated in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence, while he claimed that he was not in Pune during the said period, and he was accused of being a Maoist "sympathiser".
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The Jesuits denied the allegation of Stan Swamy being a Maoist, by stating that it was against the ethos of the Jesuit order.
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Stan Swamy was arrested by the NIA on 8 October 2020, from Bagaicha, a Jesuit social action centre, and charged under the Unlawful Activities Act, 1967, under which bail can be denied.
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Stan Swamy had earlier been arrested in June 2018 in Ranchi on similar accusations.
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In October 2020, Stan Swamy filed for bail on the grounds of him being a victim of Parkinson's disease.
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On 6 November 2020, Stan Swamy submitted an application to the special court requesting a straw and sipper, stating that he was unable to hold a glass due to Parkinson's.
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Stan Swamy suffered from hearing loss in both ears and had undergone surgeries.
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On 18 May 2021, in a note submitted to the Bombay High Court, it was reported that Stan Swamy was gravely ill in prison.
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Stan Swamy was admitted to the Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai.
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On 4 July 2021, Stan Swamy was put on ventilator support, as his health deteriorated.
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Stan Swamy died on 5 July 2021, ahead of his bail hearing in Bombay High Court.
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In January 2021, Swamy was awarded the Mukundan C Menon award 2020 for human rights.