Bob Dylan Adapted: Who Killed Stan Swamy?

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.