Stan Swamy, also known as Stan Lourduswamy, was an Indian Roman Catholic priest, a member of the Jesuit order, and a long-time tribal rights campaigner. 

On Monday, Father Stan Swamy, who was arrested in the Elgaar Parishad case in 2020, died in a Mumbai hospital. Swamy, 84, died at 1.30 PM, according to doctors at Holy Family Hospital in Bandra, who informed the Bombay High Court.

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Swamy received the Mukundan C. Menon award 2020 for human rights in January 2021. Swamy was the oldest person in India to be charged with terrorism.

On October 8, 2020, he was arrested and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his suspected participation in the 2018 Bhima Koregaon violence and affiliations to the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Hemant Soren, the Chief Minister of Jharkhand, and Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala, have both sought justice for Fr. Stan Swamy.

Swamy had requested interim release due to the pandemic, citing his Parkinson’s disease as well as other health concerns. He also filed a merits bail application with the special court, arguing that he was detained for opposing the arbitrary incarceration of thousands of young adivasis dubbed “Naxals” and that the central agency’s allegations of his connection with the outlawed CPI (Maoists) were false. His pleas were rejected by the special court.

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Swamy stated in a video released two days before his detention that his arrest was connected to his activities, which includes opposition against government policy.

He has been quoted as saying, “What is happening to me is not something unique happening to me alone. It is a broader process that is taking place all over the country. We are all aware how prominent intellectuals, lawyers writers, poets, activists, students, leaders, they are all put into jail because they have expressed their dissent or raised questions about the ruling powers of India. We are part of the process. In a way I am happy to be part of this process. I am not a silent spectator, but part of the game, and ready to pay the price whatever be it.”

Swamy was placed on ventilator support on July 4, 2021, as his condition worsened. Swamy died on July 5, 2021, only days before his bail hearing at Bombay High Court.