A Jesuit Priest
Father Stan Swamy—the imprisoned Jesuit priest of Jharkhand, died on Monday 5th July 2021. We salute him for his indomitable courage and firmness to carry on his fight for protection of democratic rights of the people in general and tribals in particular, even at the cost of his life.

His death in a hospital of Mumbai under the watchful eyes of police and administration is the latest addition to the list of victims who dared to raise their dissenting voice against the present oppressive regime.

He was arrested in October 2020 by the police for his alleged Maoist link. With a section of judiciary refusing to dispense justice to this critically ill octogenarian priest, his interim bail petition got rejected again and again. And he had to die in judicial custody as under trial prisoner.

BJP led NDA govt. hastened the death of Father Stan Swamy but he will always live in our memory. His life and works would always remain as an inspiration to every one of us who value democratic system and human rights.
Subrata Basu, Convener, Central Organising Committee, CPI-ML
Kanu Sanyal Smriti Bhawan,
Hatighisa, Siliguri,
6 July 2021

Stan Swamy
Fr. Stan Swamy is no more with us. Very very sad and I am pained by the thought. The state is responsible for his death. He died in judicial custody but his spirit was always free. He lives in our memory and will live forever. Hope his life and struggle inspires us to finally bury the draconian laws and resurrect human rights, human dignity, and value of compassion. We should strive to keep alive the memory of life and struggle of Fr. Stan Swamy.
Irfan Engineer, Director
Centre for Study of Society and Secularism

Permanent Lock-Down
'I am no stranger to lockdowns. They were the norm while I was growing up in Kashmir. I was seven when I experienced the first set of sweeping restrictions put on our movement. The curbs were imposed in January 1990 to stem further protests after scores protesting against overnight house-to-house searches were hemmed in and shot dead on a bridge over the Jhelum. It was the first of the many massacres that year, which fuelled the ongoing insurrection. We were confined to our houses in its aftermath for three weeks. Shoot-at-sight orders were in place and our neighbourhoods were suddenly swarmed by men in khaki from all over India. A cousin had a narrow escape when he was fired upon for stepping out during the lockdown. No one dared to venture out thereafter to even get essentials. We fell back on our winter stocks and were forced to survive for the longest time in recent memory on lentils'
Sameer Arshad Khatlani
Srinagar, Kashmir

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Frontier
Vol. 54, No. 6, Aug 8 - 14, 2021