KOCHI: Various church denominations on Sunday demanded the release of Fr Stan Swamy, who was arrested in what they called "in gross violation of human rights and democratic norms".
In a statement here, the Kerala Catholic Bishops' Conference (KCBC) said it was shocking to hear about the arrest of Fr Stan Swamy by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) accusing him of being related to the Bhima-Koregaon incident.
"The KCBC like to remind the government that the Catholic community has always been working for the development of the poor and the downtrodden. It is through hardworking, sincere and committed persons like Fr Stan Swamy that the Catholic Church has worked for the welfare of the poor in this country," said KCBC.
In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Kerala Latin Catholic Association (KLCA) sought his urgent intervention to "take effective steps to ensure justice for Fr Stan Swamy". "We are shocked that the NIA is considering taking Fr Swamy, who is 83-year-old, to Mumbai," the letter said, adding that NIA will be subjecting him to extreme risk to his life during this pandemic.
KLCA said Fr Swamy has been working for the upliftment of Dalits in Jharkhand, especially for Adivasis' rights and has no connection with the Bhima Koregaon. "The NIA has been trying to establish that Swamy is linked to the Maoists, which the Father has denied in the strongest terms," the letter to the PM said.
In a separate statement, the Kerala Jesuit Provincial condemned the arrest of Fr Stan Swamy "strongly". "The inhuman and autocratic act of the NIA in the arrest of Stan Swamy violates all Constitutional provisions. Stan has consistently denied any link with extremist leftist forces or Maoists. He also clearly told the NIA that some of the so-called extracts allegedly taken from his computer shown to him by the NIA were fake and fabricated and so he disowned them," said Fr E P Mathew, SJ of Kerala Jesuit Provincial.
Fr Jacob Palackappilly, the deputy secretary-general and spokesperson of KCBC, urged the NIA to allow Fr Stan Swamy to go to his residence saying it is difficult to comprehend "the plight of the octogenarian with several morbidities has to undergo such difficulties during this pandemic in which even a normal healthy person would hesitate to travel or would never travel risking one's life".