On August 6, 2025, St. Xavier’s College canceled its annual Stan Swamy Memorial Lecture. The cancellation took place three days before the event, following a protest from a student organization.
St. Xavier’s College began hosting the annual lecture in honor of Jesuit priest and human rights activist Stan Swamy in 2021, the year after his death. For the 2025 lecture, the Department of Inter-Religious Studies invited theologian Fr. Prem Xalxo to deliver the talk, “Migration for Livelihood: Hope Amidst Miseries.”
On August 4, 2025, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student group affiliated with the Hindu nationalist organization Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), authored a letter protesting the lecture. The group alleged that the event glorified Swamy, who was arrested in 2018 under anti-terrorism charges related to the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case (see related report). Following discussion with the group, the St. Xavier’s administration canceled the lecture, citing unspecified “unavoidable circumstances.”
Over 55 civil society groups stepped in to provide an alternative host for the lecture, which was delivered online on September 13.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the cancelation of a previously approved on-campus event, apparently in response to pressure from members of the university community. Student organizations have a right to free expression, but should not be permitted to impose undue pressure on universities’ academic decisions. Higher education leaders should respect academic freedom by refraining from restrictions on academic activity. Attempts to limit academic discussion and exchange undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/st-xaviers-college-cancels-annual-stan-swamy-memorial-lecture-after-protest-by-abvp-10180283/
https://cruxnow.com/church-in-asia/2025/08/lecture-dedicated-to-activist-jesuit-priest-in-india-cancelled-to-to-hindu-nationalists
https://free-them-all.net/2025/08/11/st-xaviers-college-cancels-stan-swamy-lecture-after-abvp-protest/