By M.K.George
Rome, June 29, 2026: There are some faces that haunt me. They make me feel sad, angry, and, at times, I want to yell out. They confuse me. They fill me with despair. They prompt me to rebel. They make me feel so helpless. They make me pray. They cause me to reflect and speak up.
Two of them I want to present to you: Stan Swamy and Sanjeev Bhatt.
The first was my “brother” by religious profession. I learned from him, admired him, and trusted him all my life. He was called a “Naxal,” an “urban terrorist.” But I believe the powers that be were clearly wrong. Stan was never a Naxal or a terrorist. He was a charitable Christian, a true Jesuit.
Sanjeev Bhatt I have only read about, but I admire his courage and conviction. I feel sad for his plight. He is in jail for speaking out what he believes to be the truth.
Both faces haunt me.
Story of Stan Swamy
Stan Swamy was a Jesuit priest and human rights activist who spent more than five decades working with Adivasi (Indigenous) communities in the Indian state of Jharkhand. His life was a sustained search for justice.
He worked for the land rights of tribal communities, their livelihoods, and their constitutional protections. He also spoke against “development-induced displacement” caused by mining and large infrastructure projects.
Through his work, he documented the situation of thousands of tribal youths who were incarcerated without timely trial and contributed to efforts that helped secure relief for many.
In October 2020, at the age of 83 and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, he was arrested under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case.*
He was denied bail even on medical grounds. In custody, he faced severe health challenges. They denied him a straw to drink water. He remained in jail and later died in a hospital while still awaiting trial.
How true is the saying: if you want to kill a dog, call it a mad dog.
Sanjeev Bhatt: A life caught in the crossfire
Sanjeev Bhatt is a former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who served in the Gujarat cadre.
He came into the limelight in the context of the 2002 Gujarat riots, a deeply controversial episode of communal violence in India in which over 1,000 people – mostly Muslims – were killed.
He was suspended and later dismissed from service. He alleged that senior officials and political leaders were aware of the planning of the violence—claims that have been disputed by the authorities.
Bhatt has faced multiple legal cases. In 2018, he was arrested and later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment in a 1990 custodial death case by the Gujarat High Court.
He has maintained that he is being targeted because of his whistleblowing activities.
To my mind, this reflects a troubling pattern where the messenger appears to suffer for the message.
Meanwhile, his family—his wife, his daughter Akshita, and his well-wishers—continue to live through years of uncertainty, waiting and hoping for justice.
At different times, Bhatt’s wife has said: “My husband is being treated like a terrorist… He is being implicated because he spoke against the system… He is an honest, upright officer who has been languishing in jail — wrongfully incarcerated for having the courage to speak truth to power.”
Haunting, challenging, and forcing a response
Many faces across the world haunt us for reasons that are deeply human and unsettling.
We try to listen, read, and move on. But they do not let us go. They challenge us. They demand a response. They stand for something that continues to press upon our conscience.
In Stan’s case, the pain feels especially palpable—when one believes that the powers that be are wrong, yet feels unable to prove it or change the outcome.
We dream of a day when messengers are not punished to silence the message—when systems allow honest inquiry, fair process, and the genuine pursuit of truth.
Haunting faces make me speak up!
- The Bhima Koregaon case is an ongoing legal dispute in India involving activists, lawyers, and academics accused of inciting caste-based violence and having links to banned Maoist groups. Father Stan Swamy was one of the 16 key accused in the case, known as the “BK-16.”
Indian Jesuit Father George Mutholil, based in Rome, serves as the Society of Jesus’ General Counsellor and Regional Assistant for South Asia. He advises on matters specific to this region while also supporting the Superior General on broader issues of governance.
(Photo: CC BY-SA 4.0)