Modi’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ Remark Is an Attempt to Frame the Next Wave of Youth Dissent as Anti-National
22/08/2026
The Wire / by Anand Teltumbde
A government that has just witnessed a leaderless, meme-driven youth movement force it to yield has an obvious institutional incentive to narrow the boundaries of legitimate protest – and to have the vocabulary for doing so ready in advance.
…
The phrase “dimagi Naxal” echoes the politically charged label “urban Naxal,” a term Modi and leaders of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have used for years for activists, academics and other critics of the government. It became the operative logic behind the 2018 Bhima Koregaon arrests, in which poets, lawyers, professors and human-rights defenders were arrested under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) on the theory that they had a link to a banned Maoist conspiracy.
One of these 16 arrestees, Father Stan Swamy, 84 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease, died in judicial custody in 2021 without ever being convicted and Surendra Gadling, a human rights lawyer from Nagpur is still in jail in his ninth year. Read more
A Speech Sans Substance!
22/08/2026
Peoples Democracy / by M A Baby
On March 31, 2026, Union Home Minister Amit Shah declared that India has become free from Naxalism. In his Independence Day speech from the Red Fort on August 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed its return.
Quite a few things happened in the intervening four months. But three developments stand out – the wave of workers’ protests that briefly spread across the northern part of the country in April and May; the historic student-youth movement that forced the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan; and the Bankipur bye-election, which resulted in a mammoth defeat for the BJP in a seat it had dominated for over three decades and had only recently been vacated by its National President. These developments have no doubt forced the BJP onto the back foot.
Modi invoking the threat of “dimagi naxals” in his address must be seen in this context. A rattled leader bereft of ideas tends to fall back on rhetoric and tactics that have proven useful in the past. The “dimagi Naxal” jibe is thus a revival of the “tukde-tukde gang”, “urban Naxal”, “andolan jeevi” and similar labels used earlier. Read more
From ‘Tukde-Tukde Gang’ to ‘Dimagi Naxals’: When Labels Replace Answers
20/08/2026
Counterview.net / by Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
How the politics of insulting dissenters evolved — and why India’s Gen Z may be less willing to accept it. There is something revealing about the political vocabulary of the Narendra Modi era
When students protested, they were called the “Tukde-Tukde Gang.” When intellectuals, activists and academics challenged the government, some were branded “Urban Naxals.” Writers and artists who returned state awards became the “Award Wapsi Gang.” Farmers protesting the government’s policies were described using terms such as “Khalistanis,” “Maoists” and “anti-national.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi also coined “Andolanjeevi” for people he portrayed as professional protesters.
Now comes another expression: “Dimagi Naxals” — ideological or intellectual Naxals. Read more
Prime Minister’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ Formulation Echoes the British Playbook Against Dissent
19/08/2026
The Leaflet / by S.N. Sahu
By branding dissenters as “Dimagi Naxals,” the Prime Minister revives the same colonial logic once used to silence Gandhi and threatens the constitutional freedoms India’s youth are fighting to defend.
Prime Minister Modi in his address to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 80th Independence Day stated that his government has succeeded in eliminating the armed Naxals in the jungles., While doing so he warned about “Dimagi Naxals” (intellectual Naxals) waiting for opportunities to unleash violence, unrest and create turmoil in society. And so, he underlined the necessity of identifying and isolating them. Read more
‘Dimagi Naxal’: When Mind Becomes Site of Suspicion
17/08/2026
NewsClick / by Shirin Akhter
After 79 years of Independence, a democracy should not be asking its citizens to fear the independent mind.
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Naxalism has a specific political history. Its name derives from the 1967 uprising in Naxalbari in West Bengal and the Maoist political movements that subsequently emerged. For decades, the Naxalite was associated primarily with armed revolutionary politics.
Then came the term, “Urban Naxal”.
The expression acquired wider political currency particularly around 2018, when activists, lawyers and intellectuals were arrested in connection with the Bhima Koregaon case. The political category began travelling beyond those accused of participation in armed insurgency. Read more
Opposition says PM Modi’s ‘dimagi Naxals’ remark shows he is ‘rattled’
16/08/2026
Scroll.in / by Scroll Staff
Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing his opponents as “dimagi Naxals”, or persons with “Naxal mentality”, was a “sure sign of his desperation”, said the Congress on Saturday.
“It is a separate matter that he ends up doing whatever these so-called ‘urban Naxals’ or now ‘dimaagi Naxals’ are demanding or advocating,” said party leader Jairam Ramesh.
The term “urban Naxals” was first used by Union ministers and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party after several activists and academics were arrested in the Elgar Parishad case in 2018. Since then, the term has often been used to describe some dissidents of the Narendra Modi government. Read more
Varavara Rao’s searing remembrance of Bhumaiah and Kishta Goud is also a powerful critique of the state’s right to take lives. Synopsis: Through his account of the lives and deaths of Bhumaiah and Kishta Goud, Varavara Rao crafts his memorial to two men executed during the Emergency while also penning a passionate manifesto for the abolition of the death penalty. Stirring figures like Sri Sri and the author’s own vivid memories light up the narrative.
Death. All of us who live have to embrace it in the end.
But how should it arrive? Should the state and the law have the right to take a life? Is capital punishment a barbaric relic to which these institutions, meant to be hallowed, continue to cling? Read more
Poet, Marxist critic and activist, Varavara Rao (VV) has been continually persecuted by the state and intermittently imprisoned since 1973, but he never stopped writing during all these decades, even from within prison. When he was subjected to ‘one thousand days of solitary confinement’ during 1985-89 in Secunderabad Jail, a leading national daily invited him to write about his prison experiences.
hindi/en | 1:17:24 | 2026
Sudha Bharadwaj is a lawyer, trade unionist, and human rights activist whose work has focused on labor rights, access to justice, and the rights of marginalized communities, particularly Adivasis and industrial workers. With decades of experience in public interest law and grassroots advocacy, she has been a prominent voice on issues of constitutional rights, civil liberties, and social justice in India. In this conversation, she reflects on her journey, the challenges of defending vulnerable communities, the legal system, democracy, and the evolving landscape of human rights. A thoughtful discussion on law, justice, and the pursuit of equality. Watch video
APCR condemns detention of Goa NEET protesters over posters of political prisoners, alleges criminalisation of dissent
30/07/2026
Maktoobmedia / by Maktoob
According to APCR, the controversy began when activist Danish displayed a placard at a peaceful gathering following the Education Minister’s resignation over paper leaks, calling for the release of undertrial prisoners, including Sharjeel Imam, Umar Khalid and the Bhima Koregaon accused.
The Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) on Thursday condemned the detention and criminal proceedings against activist Sudeep Dalvi, Danish and other NEET protesters in Goa, alleging that the state was using criminal law to suppress peaceful dissent and violate constitutional freedoms. Read more
The Jantar Mantar Student Protest: Anger, Accountability, and Democratic Rights
29/07/2026
Countercurrents.org / by Dinkar Kapoor
… It must also be noted that the anger brewing against the Modi government stems partly from the systematic erosion of democratic and constitutional rights. The government has suppressed every voice of dissent through repression. Some of the nation’s finest minds—such as Anand Teltumbde, Gautam Navlakha, Umar Khalid, Prabir Purkayastha, Sudha Bharadwaj, and Satyam Verma—have been imprisoned. Organizing sit-ins, protests, fasts, movements, or marches has become not merely difficult but virtually impossible in the country. Individuals committed to social causes—who strengthen democracy—were branded as “Andolanjeevi” (professional protesters), “anti-nationals,” and even “cockroaches.” Institutions that bolster the democratic system and channel public outrage toward democratic resolutions have been dismantled. Read more
‘Free Umar Khalid’ placard draws police action at Goa protest
26/07/2026
The Indian Express / by Pavneet Singh Chadha
Goa police detain man for carrying a placard that said ‘Free Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Bhima Koregaon 16’. Came after BJP Yuva Morcha workers staged a protest demanding his arrest
Goa Police Saturday evening detained a man for allegedly carrying a “Free Umar Khalid” placard at a gathering organised to express solidarity with the protests at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and to mark the resignation of former Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
According to the police, the incident took place around 7 pm, when people gathered at the Azad Maidan in Panaji were raising slogans. Police said one of the protesters was carrying a placard that read, “Free Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Bhima Koregaon 16”. Read more
‘Refuse to Lift Your Lathis’: 1800 Citizens Write Open Letter to Security Forces At Jantar Mantar
25/07/2026
The Wire / by The Wire Staff
“Next time an order like this comes to you to savagely attack innocent peaceful protesters you must stop and think, and you must refuse to lift your lathi,” the letter read.
A group of concerned citizens, with over 1800 signatories, have written an open letter to the police and security forces deployed at Jantar Mantar, Delhi, following visuals of a violent crackdown on student protesters on July 20, 2026. Appealing directly to the personnel’s conscience, the letter asks them to resist orders to attack peaceful demonstrators. The letter has been circulated in 15 Indian languages, apart from English: Bengali, Garhwali, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Khasi, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Tamizh, Telugu and Urdu. Read the full letter
“Hum Bharat Ke Log”: Tushar Gandhi Leads Mumbai Event Highlighting Constitutional Values & Democratic Rights
24/07/2026
Free Press Journal / by Poonam Apraj
Around 200 activists, students, writers and citizens gathered in Mumbai for ‘Hum Bharat Ke Log – Voice of Resistance’, a cultural programme highlighting constitutional values. Presided over by Tushar Gandhi, the event saw the launch of the ‘Lawyers of Students’ app for legal aid to protesting students. Speakers discussed democracy, justice, equality and peaceful civic participation.
… Those present included Dhananjay Shinde, Aamir Kazi, Guddi Tiwari, Sudhir Dhawale, Suvarna Salve, Subodh More, Tejas, Huma Namal, actor Sushant Singh, Akshay from Raigad and Advocate Todkar. Read more
CJP protest row: Mumbai Police book Shivaji Park organisers for unlawful assembly
20/07/2026
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
The organisers of the Shivaji Park protest are facing an FIR for ‘unlawful assembly’ as the Mumbai Police said, no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.
… Earlier, the Mumbai Police had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday in support of Sonam Wangchuk.The first FIR was registered at the Marine Drive police station against the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction party workers for protesting near Mantralaya, and the second against left party organisations for protesting near the Press Club. The seven people booked include Sudhir Dhawale, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case who received bail last year. Read more
The state had a script for slogans, petitions, op-eds – the standard grammar of Indian dissent, which it had learned to out-shout, outspend or simply wait out over ten years in power. It had no script at all for being laughed at.
When the great lord passes the wise peasant bows deeply and silently farts. –Ethiopian proverb
On July 24, Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union education minister – the first such casualty a citizens’ movement has extracted from Narendra Modi’s government in more than a decade in power. It is worth asking why this movement, of all the movements this government has faced down and outlasted, actually worked. Part of the answer lies in something India’s commentariat has been strangely reluctant to say out loud: the “Cockroaches” won partly because they were rude. Read more
CJP protests | Exam anger becomes a political reckoning
24/07/2026
Deccan Herald / by Bharat Bhushan
Pan-India protests against the events of July 20 have marked a significant shift in Indian politics, moribund for 12 years under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. What began as a narrow protest about examination leaks has become a generational statement about the lack of institutional accountability.
… A movement of such diversity resists easy categorisation. This is making it harder for the government to neutralise it by its usual strategy of labelling its critics as anti-national. Whereas it attempted to brand earlier protest movements as political extremists such as Punjab farmers as ‘Khalistani’; anti-CAA protestors as representing sectarian ‘Muslim unrest’; linking civil rights’ activists in the Bhima-Koregaon case to ‘Naxalite extremists’, and the infamous attempt to label JNU students as being sympathetic to Kashmiri militants. Read more
Why Should Protesters Seek Police Permission?
22/07/2026
The Wire / by Anand Teltumbde
The police response to the students’ march in Delhi raises a disturbing question. Had the police begun to resemble street goons, or had street goons been absorbed into the policing of democratic dissent?
On July 20, the long-running protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar took a dramatic turn. For nearly three weeks, an uneasy calm had prevailed around the indefinite fast of Sonam Wangchuk and three students demanding accountability for repeated examination leaks and the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The original permission to assemble had long since expired, yet, curiously, the police allowed the protest to continue, perhaps calculating that it would eventually lose momentum.
Instead, the opposite happened. Read more
The exam crisis that became a battle for accountability
21/07/2026
Sabrang India / by Sabrang India
From student grievances to Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike, the movement questioned accountability, democracy and the limits of State intervention
On July 20, 2026, the streets around Delhi’s Jantar Mantar became the centre of a rapidly escalating confrontation between a student-led movement demanding accountability over alleged failures in the education system and a State determined to prevent the protest from moving towards Parliament.
… In Mumbai, the state’s restrictive approach to public assembly has turned the city into a theater of confrontation. Read more
CJP protest row: Mumbai Police book Shivaji Park organisers for unlawful assembly
20/07/2026
The Indian Express / by Express News Service
The organisers of the Shivaji Park protest are facing an FIR for ‘unlawful assembly’ as the Mumbai Police said, no permission was granted to carry out the demonstration.
… Earlier, the Mumbai Police had registered two FIRs in connection with the protests that were carried out in south Mumbai on Saturday in support of Sonam Wangchuk.The first FIR was registered at the Marine Drive police station against the NCP (Sharad Pawar) faction party workers for protesting near Mantralaya, and the second against left party organisations for protesting near the Press Club. The seven people booked include Sudhir Dhawale, an accused in the Elgar Parishad case who received bail last year. Read more
Mumbai Police Register Three FIRs Over Uddhav Thackeray-Led Protest Backing Sonam Wangchuk
20/07/2026
Lokmat Times / by Lokmat Times Desk
Mumbai Police have registered three FIRs in connection with the protest led by Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday in support of activist Sonam Wangchuk. According to the police, the first FIR concerns the alleged organisation of the protest without prior permission. The second relates to appeals made to the public to gather at the venue despite the lack of official approval. The third FIR was filed after students reportedly continued demonstrations at various locations in Dadar even after the main protest ended, causing major traffic congestion. Police said no arrests have been made in any of the three cases so far. Read more
Elgar Parishad accused booked for protesting in support of Sonam Wangchuk
19/07/2026
Hindustan Times / by HT Correspondent
Azad Maidan police said the protestors were booked for unlawful assembly and allowed to leave after being served notices to present themselves if required
MUMBAI: Activist and writer Sudhir Dhawale and a few others were booked by the police for protesting outside Azad Maidan on Saturday, in connection with the alleged forcible removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar in Delhi. Dhawale is one of the accused in the Elgar Parishad case and was released on bail from the Taloja Central Jail in January 2025. Read more
CJP protest in Mumbai: How Azad Maidan became the city’s site of agitations, with restrictions
19/07/2026
The Indian Express / by Sadaf Modak
Azad Maidan as a site of protest can be traced back to a 1997 court case. Since then, several rules have been laid down on the manner of protests allowed, including weekend restrictions, a ban on hunger strikes, and the slogans that can be raised.
Mumbai-based activists and citizens have been gathering at the Azad Maidan since last week in solidarity with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest being held at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, over the NEET-UG 2026 entrance examination paper leak.
On Saturday (July 18), the Mumbai Police filed two FIRs against some of the protestors, citing the Public Meetings, Agitations and Processions Rules, 2025, which prohibit protests at the maidan on weekends. Read more
Political economist, Parakala Prabhakar delivered the Father Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture, St. Patrick’s High School, Secunderabad July 11, 2026; we reproduce the entire text of the lecture below
Dignitaries on the dais and my dear friends,
I felt sad, was moved to tears, when Father Stan Swamy died. There was a chapter on him in my book, The Crooked Timber of New India. The title of the chapter is ‘Who Killed Father Stan Swamy?’ You would have noticed that I asked, ‘who killed’ Stan Swamy’. I meant that he did not simply die. I meant that he was, indeed, killed. Read more
Surendra Gadling and Dinkar Gota, two political prisoners incarcerated at Taloja Central Prison in Navi Mumbai, are observing a one-day hunger strike on July 5, 2026, the fifth death anniversary of the Jesuit priest and human rights activist Father Stan Swamy. The editorial introduction below is followed by the full text of the press release by Gadling and Gota on the hunger strike.
EDITORIAL INTRODUCTION
Surendra Gadling is a Nagpur-based human rights lawyer and Dalit rights activist who has spent decades defending Adivasis, Dalits, workers, and political prisoners, often on a pro bono basis. He is widely known for challenging allegations of fake encounters, custodial abuse, and violations of civil liberties. He has been imprisoned since June, 2018 in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, a prosecution that has become one of India’s most prominent civil liberties cases. Sixteen lawyers, academics, writers, artists, trade unionists, and human rights defenders were arrested in the case under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Most have since been granted bail after years of incarceration, while Father Stan Swamy died in judicial custody in 2021. Gadling remains incarcerated in Taloja Central Prison awaiting trial.
Dinkar Gota is an Adivasi activist from Gadchiroli, Maharashtra, who was arrested in March, 2020 under the UAPA in connection with the Gadchiroli blast case of 2019. He has consistently maintained his innocence and is regarded by supporters as one of several Adivasi activists who have been jailed baselessly under anti-terror laws for fighting for the rights of their peoples. He is currently lodged in Taloja Central Prison.
Father Stan Swamy was a Jesuit priest and human rights activist who had dedicated his life to defending the rights of Adivasis, other marginalised communities, and political prisoners. He was arrested in October, 2020 in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, and died at the age of 84 on July 5, 2021 while in judicial custody.
FULL TEXT OF THE PRESS RELEASE
– Press Release for circulation –
Date: 5 July 2026
Two political prisoners, Advocate Surendra Gadling, an accused in the Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad case, and Dinkar Gota, an accused in the alleged Gadchiroli attack case, lodged in Taloja Central Prison, are observing a one-day hunger strike on 5 July 2026, on the occasion of the fifth death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy.
Father Stan Swamy was a victim of institutional murder because he refused to surrender before those in power and chose to stand firmly for the rights of Adivasis, Dalits, and the marginalized and oppressed masses, until his last breath. He fearlessly raised his voice against injustice, repression, and attacks on democratic rights. This one-day hunger strike is to protest against the institutional repression that led to his death.
Father Stan Swamy’s life and struggle continues to inspire every person fighting for justice, human dignity, and democratic values. This hunger strike is a renewed pledge to ensure that his sacrifice will not go in vain, and the hunger strikers humbly appeal to democrats, human rights defenders, and all justice-seeking citizens to express solidarity in this regard.
Remembering Fr. Stan Swamy: Five Years Since His Custodial Death
08/07/2026
Countercurrents.org / by National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)
The National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM) pays its deepest tribute to Fr. Stan Swamy, a steadfast companion of Adivasi struggles, defender of constitutional democracy and people’s rights.
Five years after his institutional killing in judicial custody, his life and death stand as a searing indictment of a State that wages war on those who defend the Constitution, while enabling the systematic dispossession of Adivasi communities in the interests of corporate capital.
Fr. Stan Swamy lived and worked for decades among Adivasi communities in Jharkhand, making their struggles for Jal – Jangal – Zameen, dignity, and self-rule central to his life’s work. Read more
Call for repeal of anti-terror law on Indian Jesuit’s death anniversary
07/07/2026
UCA News / by Michael Gonsalves
Father Stan Swamy died as an undertrial prisoner following his arrest for allegedly violating the anti-terror law
Activists called for the repeal of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the disbandment of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the main federal counterterrorism probe agency, during programs held on July 5.
During a public meeting at the Press Club of India in New Delhi, several activists said the death of Swamy on July 5, 2021, while he was still a prisoner, was a stark reminder of the erosion of constitutional rights and freedoms through the state machinery. Read more
Memorials across India mark 5 years since Jesuit Father Stan Swamy died in custody
07/07/2026
EWTN News / by Anto Akkara
Archbishop Vincent Aind led tributes in Ranchi and activists gathered in Mumbai to honor the priest, as his supporters press on to clear his name in the Bhima Koregaon case.
Memorial programs were held across India on July 5 to mark the fifth anniversary of the death of Jesuit Father Stan Swamy, the 84-year-old tribal rights activist who died in custody at a Mumbai hospital in 2021 while awaiting trial on terrorism charges.
Archbishop Vincent Aind of Ranchi led supporters in garlanding Swamy’s bust at “Bagaicha,” meaning “garden,” the Jesuit social action center Swamy founded near Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. Read more
Picture credits: CASR / The Mooknayak
“Killed by a Bullet Named NIA”: CASR Meeting Slams Judicial System on Fr. Stan Swamy Anniversary
06/07/2026
The Mooknayak English / by Campaign Against State Repression (CASR)
Human Rights Defenders Remember Fr. Stan Swamy’s Custodial Death
On the fifth martyrdom anniversary of Jesuit priest and human rights defender Fr. Stan Swamy, the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) organised a public meeting in New Delhi. The event, themed “NIA and UAPA: Constitutional Concerns and the Suppression of Dissent”, brought together lawyers, academics, journalists, human rights defenders, and activists to reflect on his legacy and critique the use of draconian laws against democratic voices. Read more
5 Years Since Stan Swamy’s Custodial Death: No Lessons Learnt, Concerns Over UAPA Abuse Persist
05/07/2026
Live Law / by Manu Sebastian
The Courts, unfortunately, look away from the abject weaponisation of the law, and the evocations of personal liberty remain largely confined to judicial seminars.
It has been five years since the death of Father Stan Swamy, while he was under custody in the Bhima Koregaon case. We still don’t know what was the crime committed by the man, except for the hyperbolic allegations of the National Investigation Agency, over which the Courts themselves have later raised many doubts and questions while granting bail to several co-accused in the case. Read more
Picture credits: Live Law
Supreme Court’s Judgment Expanding UAPA To Make Speech ‘Terrorist Act’ Puts Political Dissent At Risk: Rebecca John
05/07/2026
Live Law / by Gursimran Kaur Bakshi
Senior Advocate Rebecca John today raised concern over the Supreme Court’s expansion of the definition of ‘terrorist act’ under Section 15 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) to include speech-related offences in the Gulfisha Fatima-Delhi riots larger conspiracy case.
… John was speaking at a public meeting organised to mark the 5th death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, who died while awaiting bail in the Bhima Koregaon case pending trial for more than six years. Read more
5 Years After Stan Swamy Died in Custody, the Struggles He Lived For Continue
05/07/2026
The Quint / by Grace Nau Backia & Edgar Kaiser
Remembering Fr Stan Swamy means remembering the Adivasi rights movement he spent his life building.
“If this makes me a ‘desh drohi,’ then so be it,” wrote Fr Stan Swamy in his email to his friends on 28 July 2019, when he came to know that he had been accused of the crime of championing the rights of Adivasis in Jharkhand. His legacy transcends time, although his voice, which rang louder against the power, has been brought to a halt.
Five years since his death, we look back at Stan’s life, the legacy he left behind, and where things stand today, with the struggles he devoted his life to. Read more
I raise my voice for Adivasis, am I a Traitor?
04/07/2026
SabrangIndia / by Stan Swamy
This piece authored by Fr Stan Swamy was originally published on Aug 01, 2018. It was then re-published on July 5, 2021 the day of his martyrdom and is now being published on July 4-5, 2026 on the fifth anniversary of his death, in lasting tribute to his work and memory.
Stan Swamy, 1 August 2018: During the past two decades, I have identified myself with the Adivasi people and their struggle for a life of dignity and self-respect. As a writer, I have tried to analyse the different issues they are facing. In this process, I have clearly expressed dissent with several policies, laws enacted by the govt in the light of the Indian Constitution. I have questioned the validity, legality, justness of several steps taken by the govt and the ruling class. Read full statement
St Peter’s Church: standing in solidarity in 2021. Pic credits: Pradip Das / The Indian Express
To a living Saint, now dead five years: Meeting to commemorate July 5
06/07/2026
Sabrangindia / by Sabrangindia
July 5, 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of Father Stan Swamy, who’s death in judicial custody in Maharashtra has been condemned for the institutional murder that it was; the 84 year old activist priest, who died of maltreatment by the prison authorities in Mumbai after suffering from the dreaded Covid-19 pandemic was an activist priest remembered for his path-breaking work among Adivasis in Jharkand
A meeting to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of Father Stan Swamy was held yesterday, Sunday, July 5. Organised by the Bombay Catholic Sabha at the Loyola Hall, it was well attended by close to two hundred Mumbaikars. Invited speakers spoke on the theme “Fr. Stan and his belief in the Constitution” Read more
Five years on, Father Stan Swamy’s legacy remains
06/07/2026
The Times of India / by TOI
Five years after Father Stan Swamy died at a Mumbai hospital while in judicial custody, a memorial for him at a church in Bandra on Sunday saw civil rights activists trace his activism and recall his days in custody.
… Speaking at the meeting, advocate Mihir Desai said that fake police encounters are not only when police fire on an unarmed person, but similar trauma may occur when an old person with fragile health, unlikely to survive prolonged incarceration, gets arrested on allegedly false charges. Read more
Mumbai, 5 July 2026. Picture credits: Free Press Journal
Fr Stan Swamy Remembered On Fifth Death Anniversary, Citizens Renew Pledge To Defend Constitution
05/07/2026
Free Press Journal / by Manoj Ramakrishnan
More than 150 citizens, activists and civil society members gathered in Mumbai to mark the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Speakers paid tribute to his work for Adivasi rights, social justice and constitutional values, while renewing calls to uphold the Constitution and continue campaigns for civil liberties and justice.
… The public meeting, held under the theme “Fr Stan and his Belief in the Constitution”, was organised jointly by the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), Centre for Study of Society & Secularism (CSSS), Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), Christian Development Association (CDA), Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), Mumbai for Peace and the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). Read more
Fr Stan Swamy’s Fifth Death Anniversary To Be Marked In Mumbai With Constitution-Themed Memorial Event
02/07/2026
Free Press Journal / by FPJ News Service
Mumbai’s Bombay Catholic Sabha, along with several civil rights organisations, will hold a programme on July 5 to mark the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Titled ‘Fr Stan and his Belief in the Constitution’, the event in Bandra will feature advocates, activists and rights groups discussing his legacy and commitment to constitutional values.
The Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS), along with several civil rights and citizens’ organisations, will organise a programme on Sunday, 5 July, to commemorate the fifth death anniversary of Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Fr Stan Swamy. Read more
If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today ….
02/07/2026
Sabrangindia / by Fr. Cedric Prakash SJ
On the fifth anniversary of the tragic death of the People’s Priest, an associate writes that, if alive Fr Stan Swamy would have been at the forefront of all the ongoing struggles of the Adivasis
Exactly five years ago, on 5 July 2021, Jesuit Father Stan Swamy was murdered. He was killed because he refused to kow-tow to a brutal, fascist regime. He was killed because he took a stand for justice and truth! He was killed because he accompanied the Adivasis and the other subalterns for a more dignified, equitable, and humane life! He was killed because he refused to compromise with corrupt, communal, anti-people, anti –constitutional forces! He was killed because he believed in humanity and in the power of ordinary people! What Stan’s murderers never bargained for is that Stan the martyr will never die! Stan was a martyr for justice – he lives in the hearts, souls, and minds of millions today and forever!
Stan Swamy, the Martyr, is no longer around today- but if he were physically present in this world today, what exactly would he be doing?
If Stan Swamy, the Martyr, were alive today, he would be in the midst of the Adivasis. His life would be very simple and frugal. He would eat their food, sing their songs, and dance with them. He would identify with them totally. Yes, of course, he would be angry if others tried to destroy their identity, their culture and customs, their traditions, and their value systems. He would master their language and walk the talk with them. Read more
Indian Jesuit priest Fr Stan Swamy to be remembered at anniversary Mass in London
19/06/2026
By Jesuit Mission UK
Fr Stan Swamy SJ – the late priest who died in an Indian jail in 2021 – will be honoured at a memorial Mass at a London Jesuit parish.
The vigil service at St Anselm’s Church in Southall at 6.30pm on Saturday 4th July will be dedicated to the memory of Fr Stan, whose death anniversary falls the next day. Read more
▪ A Documentary Film on Stan Swamy – A Caged Bird Can Still Sing
hindi / en | 21:40min | 2025 By Karwan e Mohabbat
This short documentary revisits the life and work of Father Stan Swamy, the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who spent decades standing with Adivasi communities in Jharkhand. Arrested under draconian anti-terror laws and denied timely medical care, Stan died in custody on 5 July 2021. Through conversations with his friends and colleagues, and using Stan’s own archival footage and recordings, we reflect on his unwavering commitment to justice and begin to understand why he was targeted by the state. This is both a tribute and a reminder of the forces that criminalise dissent and silence those who speak for the most marginalised.
Remembering Stan Swamy (26 April 1937 – 5 July 2021)
The state persecuted Stan Swamy under the UAPA, a punishment that precipitated his death as an undertrial in judicial custody. Stan Swamy was framed, fettered, and finally forced towards a fatal illness under due process of law called the UAPA. The charges levelled reveal the state’s deep prejudice against an upright activist who spent decades in building and empowering Adivasi rights against historic neglect and exploitation. Stan Swamy’s persecution under the UAPA offers an understanding of how many others have been similarly punished by the state for their dissenting politics.
Prior to his incarceration, Stan Swamy’s failing health was well-known, but he was not granted even medical bail let alone regular bail. The NIA and the prison authorities refused to acknowledge the deterioration that he suffered in prison, and they failed to uphold his rights as a prisoner, a right to decent health care and facilities.
▪ I am not a Silent Spectator – Why Truth has become so bitter, Dissent so intolarable, Justice so out of reach – An Autobiographical Fragment, Memory and Reflection
Edition: Aug 2021
Publisher: Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
Language: English
Paperback: 149 pages
‘Why truth has become so bitter, dissent so intolerable, justice so out of reach?’ because truth has become very bitter to those in power and position, dissent, so unpalatable to the ruling elite, justice, so out of reach to the powerless, marginalised, deprived people. Yet, truth must be spoken, right to dissent must be upheld, and justice must reach the doorsteps of the poor. I am not a silent spectator. This booklet is not my autobiography. It is rather a collation of some glimpses/episodes from my life that somehow made a difference for me, and possibly for my confrères, colleagues and the people with whom I have shared my life.
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. Read more
▪ I am not a Silent Spectator – Why Truth has become so bitter, Dissent so intolarable, Justice so out of reach – An Autobiographical Fragment, Memory and Reflection
Edition: Aug 2021
Publisher: Indian Social Institute, Bangalore
Language: English
Paperback: 149 pages
‘Why truth has become so bitter, dissent so intolerable, justice so out of reach?’ because truth has become very bitter to those in power and position, dissent, so unpalatable to the ruling elite, justice, so out of reach to the powerless, marginalised, deprived people. Yet, truth must be spoken, right to dissent must be upheld, and justice must reach the doorsteps of the poor. I am not a silent spectator. This booklet is not my autobiography. It is rather a collation of some glimpses/episodes from my life that somehow made a difference for me, and possibly for my confrères, colleagues and the people with whom I have shared my life.
Edition: Aug 2021 Publisher: Peoples Union for Democratic Rights, Delhi Language: English
Paperback: 45 pages
Stan Swamy, as this report documents, was framed, fettered, and finally forced towards a fatal illness under due process of law. The report argues that the naturalness of Stan’s death—a cardiac arrest driven by Covid complications—doesn’t exonerate the unnaturalness of the persecution that he suffered under the UAPA. Underlying Stan’s experiences of persecution lie the life-stories of many others, including the 15 accused in the Bhima Koregaon case. Beyond chronicling Stan’s persecution under law, the report documents why Comrade Stan was a dissenter and a true patriot and why the state feared and criminalized his dissent under the UAPA.
By Sushmita / @Sushmitav1 (June 6):
Today, Adv. Surendra Gadling completes eight years of wrongful incarceration without the trial having commenced, and having denied bail on multiple occasions.
Adv. Gadling always fought for the rights of those falsely charged with draconian laws and fought against atrocities
committed on Dalit, Bahujans and Adivasis. He obtained acquittal of hundreds of Dalit, Adivasis trapped in false cases. He also fought against cases of caste atrocities. It’s high time this human rights defender is freed and urgently given bail.
