Ranchi: Father Stan Swamy, known for giving voice to the poor and marginalised people, would always be remembered as a friend of the poor-tribal and Dalit communities. He ultimately had to die in custody for “antagonizing political power corridors”. Born in 1937 in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, Swamy’s life is an example of relentless activism for safeguarding human rights, particularly of the tribal and the oppressed, and in turn become a victim of “institutionalized maiming” of such voices, people who knew him said. At the age of 20, he became a Jesuit priest and committed his life to the poor and marginalized people. Eight years later, he visited Chaibasa in the Kolhan division of erstwhile Bihar to live and understand the life of the Ho tribe, which dominated the region. For a brief period, he went to Manila in the Philippines to obtain a master’s degree in sociology and came back to Chaibasa again to learn the life and challenges of the tribal community.