MUMBAI: St Xavier’s College in Mumbai cancelled its annual Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture, scheduled for Saturday, following protests by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
The lecture, organised by the college’s Department of Inter-Religious Studies (DIRS), was to be delivered virtually by Fr Prem Xalxo, associate lecturer at the Faculty of Theology in Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome. The topic this year was ‘Migration for Livelihood: Hope Amidst Miseries’.
In a letter to the college principal, the ABVP demanded the event’s cancellation, objecting to it being held in memory of Father Stan Swamy, a Jesuit priest accused in the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case and charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Swamy was among several human rights activists, scholars, intellectuals and others jailed for alleged naxal activities as part of the case. A tribal rights activist, Swamy was arrested in 2020 and died in custody in July 2021 while awaiting trial.
The ABVP alleged that Fr Swamy had links with banned organisations and said that honouring him through an academic platform could “glorify” a person accused of anti-national activities. “It is unfortunate that reputed institutions like St Xavier’s are seen promoting such narratives,” said ABVP Mumbai Secretary Prashant Mali. “We have immense respect for academic freedom, but when such events are used to whitewash the image of someone accused of working against the nation, it becomes unacceptable.”
Mali added that the ABVP was not opposing the topic of the lecture but the choice of dedicating it to Swamy’s memory. “We have no objection to discussions on migration or livelihood challenges. But associating these discussions with the name of someone accused of aiding banned organisations sends the wrong message to students. Educational institutions must remain neutral and not allow themselves to be platforms for any ideology that goes against national interest,” he claimed.
Following warnings from the student body, the college decided to cancel the lecture. Responding to the criticism, college rector Father Keith D’Souza said the DIRS was an extracurricular unit on campus that organises a variety of lectures and events throughout the year. He said the department’s core aim was to promote dialogue and mutual respect. “The underlying motive of the DIRS is “respecting the other”, in keeping with a foundational Indic civilisational attitude,” he said.
Father D’Souza also stressed that Fr Stan Swamy had been accused but never convicted. “As per Indian criminal jurisprudence, a person is innocent unless proven guilty. While we respect other perspectives and concerns, we hope to elicit a reciprocal attitude of respect from others as well,” he said.