Sudhir Dhawale penned an emotional poem in the memories of Father Stan Swamy who passed away on July 5, 2021. Dhawale, a writer and anti-caste activist from Mumbai who is currently jailed at the Taloja central prison, wrote an eight-page poem describing his first meeting with Swamy, their interactions in jail and Swamy’s contribution to the tribal rights movement in Jharkhand. He titled the poem Pathalgadicha Father or the ‘Father of Pathalgadi’.
The poem was written with the intention to share it with his friends , lawyers and colleagues at Vidrohi Magazine. But the jail authorities never had delivered the letter. Instead it was sent to ATS office at Nagpur.
Dhawale's Poem: पत्थलगड… by The Wire
In Fact, ATS has nothing to do with the Elgar Parishad Case which involves Dhawale, but was approached by Taloja jail authorities. Later Dhawale was served with the warning from ATS.
Dhawale was among the first people to be arrested in the ongoing Elgar Parishad Case. All are charges under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) for allegedly being a part of a banned Maoist group.
