Matters India Reporter
Mumbai, August 7, 2025 — St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, has cancelled its annual Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture scheduled for August 9, following protests from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization affiliated with the RSS.
The lecture, titled “Migration for Livelihood: Hope amidst Miseries,” was to be delivered virtually by Father Prem Xalxo and organized by the college’s department of Inter-Religious Studies. It aimed to honor the legacy of the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who died in judicial custody in July 2021.
In a letter to the college principal, ABVP Mumbai secretary Prashant Mali objected to the event, alleging that Father Swamy was a prime accused in the Bhima Koregaon case and had links to the banned CPI (Maoist). He was arrested under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), an anti-terror law, and remained incarcerated despite suffering from Parkinson’s disease and other age-related ailments. He died at Holy Family Hospital after a cardiac arrest.
Following the ABVP’s written protest, a delegation met with the college administration, which subsequently cancelled the lecture citing “unavoidable circumstances” on August 6, 2025.
Father Stan Swamy belonged to the Jamshedpur Jesuit Province and had spent decades working alongside Adivasi communities in Jharkhand, advocating for their rights to land, forest, and livelihood. His death sparked nationwide calls for prison reform and drew attention to the treatment of elderly under-trial prisoners.
This is not the first time events commemorating Father Swamy have faced opposition. In Mangaluru, another Jesuit run institution, withdrew plans to name a park after him following similar protests on October 7, 2021. The park was to be called the Father Stan Swamy Peace Park, located at the St Aloysius Institute of Management and IT in Kotekar, on the outskirts of Mangaluru.
Like countless people around the world, many Jesuits loved, admired, and supported him — standing for him and by him. At the same time, many others ignored him, and a few even disliked him, perhaps believing he was rightly put behind bars. Such Jesuits do not even want to see his photograph displayed. So, I can understand why the right-wing student body would not tolerate an event held in the name of a prophet of our time. This simply shows that even the name of Stan Swamy disturbs — even terrifies — their conscience. The righteous live on even after death. Jothi SJ
To be sure, there will be more such Stan Swami deaths and more memorial functions cancelled as long as we allow fringe elements to rule our psyches and institutions.
Absolutely right. Our institutions are unfavourably flooded with ‘paying’ students from other communities who control the Old Students’ Association/Alumni groups. Our own Christian students are a minority in their own institutions! I guess our institution heads are pursuing the mirage of evangelization from other communities at the cost of its own flock. Now they are paying for it!
Well well, Fr Stan Swamy never buckled under pressure, but his community St Xavier’s College, Mumbai did! All the more reason, Fr Stan’s name must be cleared from the so-called UAPA Charges. Is the legal team appointed by the Jesuit Congregation really delivering anything worthwhile? I guess Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) really deserves a legal riposte!