A National Vigil for the Constitution and Human Rights Defenders was observed by various civil society groups across the country on the National Constitution Day on November 26. Several programmes, including the National Recitation of the Preamble of the Constitution, were conducted.
In New Delhi, the Vigil was held at Indian Social Institute and at Sacred Heart Cathedral. This Vigil was held in the context of the arrest of Fr. Stan Swamy SJ, an 83-year old Jesuit priest and renowned tribal rights activist, who is charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He is the oldest person in the country to be charged with terror related cases. Fifteen other activists, including Sudhir Dhawale, Rona Wilson, Surendra Gadling, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Hany Babu, Shoma Sen, Mahesh Raut, Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha and Anand Teltumbde, were also arrested in connection with the same controversial Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case.
Fr. Stan has been suffering from various age-related illnesses, including Parkinson’s disease (PD). He is also hard of hearing. He had fractured his hand due to a fall in January 2020, which has not fully healed. He needs warm clothes, blanket, shawl, sweater and socks as he cannot bear the cold at night. He also moved the sessions court on November 6, asking for a straw and sipper as he cannot hold a glass in his hands due to PD.
During the National Vigil, the main speakers were Mr. Sanjay Hegde, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of India, and Ms. Tehmina Arora, Director Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF-India). They stressed the need to uphold the values of the Constitution as the framers of this foundational document of the country proposed a vision where every citizen is guaranteed justice, equality, liberty and the promotion of fraternity, assuring the dignity of every individual.
Earlier, in his welcome address, Dr. Paul D’Souza SJ highlighted the importance of spreading the values of the Constitution as it had been framed by all sections of society, including Fr. Jerome D’Souza SJ, who founded the Indian Social Institute in 1951. He lamented that the vision of the founding fathers of the nation articulated in the Preamble of the Constitution remains an unfulfilled dream for millions of citizens. In particular, those who have worked hard for decades to ensure that the Constitutional rights of citizens become a lived reality are being branded as anti-nationals and are languishing in jails.
The programme included the release of a video on Fr. Stan Swamy and the theme song of the #StandwithStan. The programme concluded with a candle light march.
Later in the evening there was a candle light vigil for the Constitution and human rights defenders with prayers, hymns and the recitation of the Preamble at the Sacred Heart Cathedral in Delhi.