Countercurrents / by Rajiv Shah

A recent book, “Luminous Footprints: The Christian Impact on India”, authored by two Jesuit scholars, Dr. Lancy Lobo and Dr. Denzil Fernandes, seeks to counter the current dominant narrative on Indian Christians, which equates evangelisation with conversion, and education, health and the social services provided by Christians as meant to lure — even force — vulnerable sections into Christianity.
… the book cites the instance of Fr Stan Swamy, a Jharkhand-based civil rights leader, who was persecuted for actively advocating for tribal rights, especially the Pathalgadi movement, in which tribals “installed stone tablets in the village, inscribing the rights of tribals over their land and natural resources.”
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Also read:
▪ Indian Jesuits to continue fight to clear Father Stan Swamy’s name (UCA News / Dec 2025)
▪ INDIA | USCIRF–RECOMMENDED FOR COUNTRIES OF PARTICULAR CONCERN (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom / 2025)
▪ Father Stan Swamy died of natural causes, Maharashtra government tells court (India Today / Oct 2025)
▪ Jesuit Missions repeats call to clear Indian priest’s name (Indcatholic News / Jul 2024)
▪ COUNTRY UPDATE: India | Increasing Abuses against Religious Minorities in India (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom / Oct 2024)
▪ Jharkhand police to probe into Maoist links with Stan Swamy’s ‘Bagaicha’, 63 other frontal organisations (The New Indian Express / Sep 2023)
▪ Modi government’s actions against the Christian minority reveal a deep malaise within our society (Scroll.in / Mar 2022)
▪ A study of Undertrials in Jharkhand (Sanhati / by Bagaicha Research Team / Feb 2016)