On 21 March 1963, reigning featherweight boxing champion Davey Moore fought Cuban boxer Ultiminio Ramos Zaqueira, popularly known as Sugar Ramos, in Los Angeles, California. Battered and bruised, Moore lost the fight in the 10th round. A few hours later, after he had given post-fight interviews, Moore fell unconscious. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with irreversible brain damage. Moore died a few days later.
The death of Moore prompted Bob Dylan, then an upcoming singer, to write a song titled, Who Killed Davey Moore? It questions the silent role many had in the tragic death of Moore.
Father Stan Swamy, renowned for his work among the tribals, died on July 4-5 night. An octogenarian, he was arrested for his alleged role in fomenting violence in Bhima-Koregaon in rural Pune on 1 January 2018 and booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. At the time of his arrest, Swamy suffered from several diseases, including Parkinson’s. The National Investigation Agency, which works under the Union government’s supervision, contested Swamy’s pleas for bail. His health deteriorated. He contracted Covid-19 in jail. He was belatedly shifted to hospital, where he died.
The questions that Dylan raised in the song about Moore are very much applicable to Swamy. In this piece, Dylan’s song is adapted to bring out the role the many actors in India had in the death of Swamy. (Awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2016, the lyrics of Dylan’s song can be read here.)
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not us,” say the two who referee
“Don’t point your finger at him and me
We could’ve bailed Stan Swamy out
An’ maybe kept him from his fate
But the Hindutva crowd would’ve booed, we are sure
At not gettin’ their hate’s worth
It’s too bad he had to go
But there was a pressure on us too, you know
It wasn’t us that made him ill
No, you can’t blame us at all.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not us,” says the Hindutva crowd
Whose tweets and posts buzzed loud
“It’s too bad Stan died on July 4-5 night
But we just like an ideological fight
We didn’t mean for him t’meet his death
We just meant to see him in torment
There ain’t nothing wrong in that
It wasn’t us that made him ill
No, you can’t blame us at all.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not me,” says the legal officer
Looking a bit shocked and sombre
“It’s hard to say, it’s hard to tell
I always thought that he was well
It’s too bad for Adivasis an’ liberals he’s dead
But if he was sick, he should’ve confessed
It wasn’t me that made him ill
No, you can’t blame me at all.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not me,” says the ageing leader
Whose desire to rule is strong as ever
“It wasn’t me that knocked him down
My hands never touched him none
I didn’t commit no ugly sin
Anyway, I jail foes only to win
It wasn’t me that made him ill
No, you can’t blame me at all.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not me,” says the political writer
Churning out words on his new computer
Sayin’, “UAPA ain’t to blame
There’s just as much danger in any legal frame”
Sayin’, “Fighting Urban Naxals is here to stay
It’s just the old Indian way
It wasn’t me that made him ill
No, you can’t blame me at all.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not me,” says the Minister whose orders
Sent Stan to jail in a swirl of false charges
Who came to Mumbai from Jharkhand
Where the poor are thrown out from their land
“I had him jailed, yes, it’s true
But that’s what I am supposed to do
Don’t say ‘murder,’ don’t say ‘kill’
It was destiny, it was God’s will.”
Who killed Stan Swamy
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
The author is an independent journalist. The views are personal.
