Bandra Memorial Event to Mark Fifth Death Anniversary of Fr Stan Swamy
A memorial event commemorating the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy is scheduled to take place at Loyola Hall, St Peter's Church on Hill Road in Bandra (West), Mumbai. Organized by a coalition of civil rights and citizen groups, the programme, themed 'Fr Stan and his Belief in the Constitution', will be held on Sunday, 5 July, at 10.30 am.
The event is being jointly organized by the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS) in association with several prominent organizations. These include the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS), Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Christian Development Association, and Citizens for the Constitution.
Several key civil rights advocates and speakers will participate in the discussion. The panel features senior advocate Mihir Desai, who serves as the National Vice-President of the PUCL; Teesta Setalvad, Secretary of the CJP; advocate Irfan Engineer, Director of the CSSS; and Sakir Shaikh, General Secretary of the APCR. Dolphy Dsouza of the Bombay Catholic Sabha will moderate the discussion.
The memorial aims to highlight the legacy and constitutional beliefs of Fr Stan Swamy, who passed away on July 5, 2021. The ailing Jesuit priest died while facing trial under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). He had been arrested by the National Investigation Agency in 2019 following violence at the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon gathering.
The upcoming programme in Bandra follows recent challenges faced by organizers of related memorial events. A separate event, the Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture 2025 on 'Migration for Livelihood: Hope Amidst Miseries' by Fr Prem Xalxo, had to be held online and at another venue. This occurred after the original programme, organized by St Xavier's College for August 9, was cancelled due to opposition from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP).
