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Journalism of Courage
The annual Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture, initially cancelled by St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, will now be held on Saturday in Nariman Point, which the attendees can join virtually.
The lecture is being organised by a coalition of civil society groups, including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Samanvaya, People’s Union for Democratic Rights (PUDR), Karvaan-e-Mohabbat, and International Solidarity for Academic Freedom in India (InSAF India).
Over 55 civil society organisations, human rights groups, and academic forums, both from India and abroad, are hosting the event to commemorate Father Stan Swamy, the Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist who died in judicial custody in July 2021 after he was arrested in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad case.
This year’s lecture, titled ‘Migration for Livelihood, Hope Amidst Miseries’, will be delivered by Father Prem Xalxo, SJ, an associate lecturer at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome.
The original programme, planned for August 9 at St Xavier’s College, was cancelled following objections raised by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) activists. The ABVP opposed the event on the grounds that Father Stan Swamy had been an accused in the Bhima Koregaon–Elgar Parishad case and was charged under UAPA.
Following a formal letter from an ABVP delegation, the college administration cancelled the event citing “unavoidable circumstances.”
“This lecture was not about Stan Swamy alone, but focused on the broader issue of migration. For an autonomous institution like St Xavier’s to cancel such an event is a huge shock. Knowledge should never be caged; everyone must be allowed to express their perspectives and opinions. This is how we educate ourselves and society,” said Irfan Engineer, director of the Centre for Study of Society and Secularism (CSSS) and a co-organiser of the event.
He further stated, “Our intention was to take a principled stand, not only out of respect for Stan Swamy, but also to highlight that knowledge and wisdom must never be suppressed through intimidation”.
According to the organisers, the upcoming lecture seeks to rekindle public discourse around migration, livelihoods, constitutional rights, and social justice. More than 1,000 participants, with a combination of in-person attendees and online viewers, are expected to attend the event.
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