Memorial programs were held across India on July 5 to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Jesuit Father Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old tribal rights activist who died in custody at a Mumbai hospital in 2021 while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.
Memorials in Ranchi and Mumbai
Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi led supporters in garlanding Swamy’s bust at “Bagaicha,” meaning “garden,” the Jesuit social action center Swamy founded near Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand.
After the floral tribute, Bagaicha director Jesuit Father P.M. Antony told EWTN News: “All of us proceeded to our program hall to discuss about the present socioeconomic and political situation in the country and the state of Jharkhand today.”
The commemoration featured a screening of Carrying the Cross, a roughly 100-minute documentary on Father Swamy’s life and work.
In Mumbai, where Father Swamy died, the anniversary was marked in the hall of St. Peter’s Church in Bandra, where his funeral was held in 2021. The Bombay Catholic Sabha, the lay wing of the archdiocese, organized the gathering with civil society groups, at which activists paid tribute to the priest, whom they praised as a fearless advocate for the oppressed tribal communities of Jharkhand.
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