A day after Jesuit priest and tribal rights activist Father Stan Swamy died in custody, friends, family, and human rights groups issued statements expressing grief and calling for justice. The 84-year-old was laid to rest at St Peter’s Church in Bandra, where the funeral service was carried out on the evening of July 6. The board outside the church, which had previously kept count of the number of days he had been lodged in jail, now reads ‘Goodbye Fr Stan, you are an inspiration”. 

Many people gathered at the spot to show their support for the priest, who had been admitted to Holy Family Hospital in May due to health complications. The poster by the Bombay Catholic Sabha in solidarity read, “Sorry Stan, we failed you”, and “Forgive Us Not, Father”.