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{{Infobox person | |||
| honorific_prefix = | |||
| name = Binayak Sen <br />বিনায়ক সেন | |||
| honorific_suffix = | |||
| image = Binayak Sen.jpg | |||
| alt = | |||
| caption = Sen in Wardha, 2011 | |||
| birth_name = | |||
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|01|04|df=y}} | |||
| birth_place = | |||
| nationality = Indian | |||
| education = ] and MD (Paediatrics) | |||
| alma_mater = ], ].<br />], ]. | |||
| occupation = Physician, activist | |||
| years_active = | |||
| employer = | |||
| organization = ] (PUCL)<br />Taught at ] for 2 years | |||
| known_for = Human rights activism<ref>{{cite news|title=Call to free India rights activist Binayak Sen|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12084785|access-date=16 March 2011|date=28 December 2010|agency=BBC|work=BBC News }}</ref> | |||
| notable_works = | |||
| style = | |||
| term = | |||
| predecessor = | |||
| successor = | |||
| party = | |||
| movement = | |||
| opponents = | |||
| boards = | |||
| criminal_charge = ], ] | |||
| criminal_penalty = ] | |||
| criminal_status = ], released on Bail pending Appeal. | |||
| spouse = ] | |||
| partner = | |||
| children = | |||
| parents = | |||
| relatives = | |||
| awards = ] for Global Health and Human Rights (2008) | |||
| footnotes = | |||
}} | |||
'''Binayak Sen''' ({{langx|hi|बिनायक सेन}}, {{langx|bn|বিনায়ক সেন}}) is a naxal kingpin, ], and ] specialist.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Sathyamala | first = C. | date = July–September 2007 | title = Binayak Sen: redefining health care in an unjust society | journal = ] | volume = IV | id = 18624134 | url = http://www.issuesinmedicalethics.org/153ed104.html | access-date = 25 May 2009 | issue = 3 | archive-date = 29 November 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091129121702/http://www.issuesinmedicalethics.org/153ed104.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> He is the national Vice-President of the ] (PUCL).<ref name="EU team to track Binayak Sen's SC hearing">{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/EU-team-to-track-Binayak-Sens-SC-hearing/articleshow/7930301.cms|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106001127/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-10/india/29402958_1_eu-delegation-sedition-proceedings|url-status=live|archive-date=6 November 2011|title=EU team to track Binayak Sen's SC hearing |last=Mahapatra|first=Dhananjay |date=10 April 2011|access-date=16 April 2011|work=]|location=New Delhi, India}}</ref> He is the recipient of several awards including the ], the ], and the ].<ref>{{cite web|title=AAP – Overall structure of Subject Committees, Policy Groups and Task Forces|url=http://internal.aamaadmiparty.org/MeetTheTeam.aspx|access-date=18 December 2013}}</ref> | |||
Binayak Sen originally started working as a ] extending health care to poor people in the rural-tribal areas of the Chhattisgarh state, doubling up as a human rights activist. While Sen has worked with the state government on health sector reform<ref>{{cite news | |||
'''Dr Binayak Sen''' is a ], ] specialist<ref></ref> and national Vice-President of the ] (PUCL) based in ] state, India. Dr. Sen is the winner of the tenth annual Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights, <ref></ref> and the first winner from India and South Asia <ref></ref>. Dr Sen is noted for extending health care to the poorest people, monitoring the health and nutrition status of the people of Chhattisgarh, and as an activist defending the human rights of tribal and other poor people. In May 2007, he was detained for allegedly violating the provisions of the ] and the ]<ref></ref><ref></ref>. In December 2007, his bail petition was rejected by the ] <ref></ref><ref></ref>. His trial commenced on 30 April 2008. He remains in prison. On 21 October 2008 he made a public appeal and proposal for peace in South Bastar. <ref></ref> | |||
| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Who-is-Dr-Binayak-Sen/articleshow/7156373.cms | |||
| title = Who is Dr Binayak Sen? | |||
|work=The Times of India |location=India | |||
| date = 24 December 2010 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}</ref> he has also strongly criticised the government on human rights violations during the anti-] operations, while advocating non-violent political engagement.<ref name="Maureen_2008"/> | |||
In May 2007, he was detained for allegedly supporting the outlawed Naxalites which would violate the provisions of the ] and the ].<ref>{{cite web | |||
| author=Rajendra K Sail | |||
| title = Forwarded Appeal (India): Arrest of a prominent human rights activist over oppressive laws | |||
| url = http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2006/2392/ | |||
| date = 15 May 2007 | |||
| publisher=Asian Human Rights Commission | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
| title = Outrage over PUCL activist's arrest | |||
| url = http://www.ndtv.com/convergence/ndtv/story.aspx?id=NEWEN20070012377 | |||
| publisher=NDTV.com | |||
| date = 17 May 2007 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}</ref> Sen first applied for bail before the ] Sessions Court and then the ] in July 2007, soon after his arrest.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| url = http://southasia.oneworld.net/todaysheadlines/no-moral-validation-for-imprisonment-of-binayak-sen | |||
| title = No moral validation for imprisonment of Binayak Sen | |||
| publisher = Vinay Sitapati | |||
| date = 13 January 2009 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110102073719/http://southasia.oneworld.net/todaysheadlines/no-moral-validation-for-imprisonment-of-binayak-sen/ | |||
| archive-date = 2 January 2011 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> Sen spent over two years in jail on charges of acting as a courier between Naxal leader Sanyal and businessman Piyush Guha. He was also accused of having associations with the CPI (Maoist), a group linked to the Naxal movement.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dr Binayak Sen: the 'Maoist' who wants to stay out of jail|website=Firstpost|date=2012-05-29|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/dr-binayak-sen-the-maoist-who-wants-to-stay-out-of-jail-324366.html|access-date=2024-11-18}}</ref> but was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India on 25 May 2009.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| title = Civil rights activist Binayak Sen gets bail | |||
| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Civil-rights-activist-Binayak-Sen-gets-bail/articleshow/4574543.cms | |||
|work=Times of India |location=India | |||
| date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
In 2010, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by ] ], Chhattisgarh, for ] and helping ]s to set up a network to fight the State.<ref name="SC grants bail to Binayak Sen">{{cite web |url=http://www.timesnow.tv/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen/articleshow/4370495.cms |title=SC grants bail to Binayak Sen |publisher=Timesnow.tv |date=15 April 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326034007/http://www.timesnow.tv/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen/articleshow/4370495.cms |archive-date=26 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was granted bail on 15 April 2011 by the ] which gave no reason for the order.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/sr%20205311p.txt |title=Supreme Court of India's order dated April 15, 2011 |access-date=21 January 2013 |archive-date=23 May 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523003637/http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/sr%20205311p.txt |url-status=dead }}</ref> Sen has filed an appeal before the ] and the case is pending.<ref></ref> | |||
== Career as a doctor == | |||
==Achievements in health care== | |||
Binayak Sen and his wife ] played key roles in the foundation of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha's Shaheed Hospital which is owned and operated by a workers' organisation.<ref name="dnaBSen"/><ref>{{cite news | |||
Dr. Sen helped to set up the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha's Shaheed Hospital.<ref name=autogenerated1>http://binayaksen.net/downlod/MSF-Binayak-Booklet.pdf Medico Sans Frontiers Booklet on Dr. Binayak Sen</ref>. The hospital is owned and operated by a workers' organization. | |||
| title = A union and a hospital | |||
Dr. Sen and his wife, Dr. Ilina Sen, are the founders of Rupantar, a community-based nongovernmental organization that has trained, deployed and monitored the work of community health workers spread throughout 20 villages<ref name=autogenerated1 />. Rupantar's activities include initiatives to counter alcohol abuse and violence against women and to promote food security. | |||
| work = The Hindu | |||
Dr. Sen is an advisor to Jan Swasthya Sahyog, a health care organization committed to developing a low-cost, effective, community health programme in the tribal and rural areas of Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh<ref name=autogenerated1 />. He was also a member of the state advisory committee<ref></ref>. set up to pilot the community based health worker programme across Chhattisgarh, later known as the Mitanin programme. He also gives his services to a weekly clinic in a tribal community. Doctors across India have started holding free clinics for the poor in tribute to Dr. Sen<ref></ref>, and to peacefully campaign for his release. | |||
| location = India | |||
| date = 18 January 2004 | |||
}}</ref> He is also an advisor to ], a health care organisation.<ref>{{cite web | |||
| title = Release Dr. Binayak Sen! | |||
| url = http://binayaksen.net/download/MSF-Binayak-Booklet.pdf | |||
| date = February 2008 | |||
| publisher = Medico Friend Circle | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080820013211/http://binayaksen.net/download/MSF-Binayak-Booklet.pdf | |||
| archive-date = 20 August 2008 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> He has also been published in the prestigious British medical journal '']'' (in its edition of 12 February 2011) where he talks about the severe inaccessibility of the healthcare to the poor in ]. The article was hailed as reaffirmation of support to Dr Sen by the international community by Ilina Sen.<ref name="dnaBSen">{{cite web | |||
| title = Binayak Sen featured in British medical journal | |||
| url = http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_binayak-sen-featured-in-british-medical-journal_1507531 | |||
| date = 14 February 2011 | |||
| publisher=Agency: DNA | |||
| access-date = 22 February 2011 | |||
}}</ref><ref name="whoisBSen">{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Who-is-Binayak-Sen/Article1-642303.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227045817/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Who-is-Binayak-Sen/Article1-642303.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 December 2010 |title=Who is Binayak Sen? |work=Hindustan Times |location=India |date=24 December 2010 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
== PUCL activist == | |||
==Awards and Honours== | |||
Sen is the National Vice-President of the ] (PUCL) and General Secretary of its ] unit. In this capacity, he helped organise numerous investigations into alleged human rights violations carried out during anti-] operations. The alleged violations included the murder of unarmed and innocent civilians by the anti-Naxalite movement ]. | |||
In a 2008 interview, Sen stated that he does not condone the ], does not approve of their violent methods, and has spoken strongly against them several times. But, he also expressed his opposition to the violent activities carried out by ], which he believes, have created a split in the tribal community.<ref name="Maureen_2008">{{cite news | |||
Dr Sen was the recipient in 2004 of the Paul Harrison award <ref>http://home.cmcvellore.ac.in/NewsLine/PAUL%20HARRISON%20AWARD%202004%20-%20Citation.pdf</ref> for a lifetime of service to the rural poor. This award is given annually by the ] in Vellore, India, to its alumni. | |||
| first = Maureen Nandini | |||
| last = Mitra | |||
| title = I don't approve the methods of Naxals | |||
| url = http://www.cse.org.in/full6.asp?foldername=20081031&filename=inv&sec_id=14&sid=1 | |||
| work = Down To Earth | |||
| publisher = The Society for Environmental Communications | |||
| date = 31 October 2008 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Sen advocates peaceful methods such as negotiations to solve the Naxalite problem.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| first = Purnima S. | |||
| last = Tripathi | |||
| title = People's war | |||
| url = http://www.flonnet.com/fl2305/stories/20060324007613300.htm | |||
| work = Frontline | |||
| date = 11–24 March 2006 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100215214850/http://flonnet.com/fl2305/stories/20060324007613300.htm | |||
| archive-date = 15 February 2010 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
== Awards and honours == | |||
Dr. Sen was awarded the R.R. Keithan Gold Medal by The Indian Academy of Social Sciences (ISSA) on 31 December 2007. The citation describes him as "one of the most eminent scientists" of India. "The award is for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of science of Nature-Man-Society and his honest and sincere application for the improvement of quality of life of the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed people of Chhattisgarh." His "suffering and personal risk" would inspire scientists as well as the general public for a very long time, according to the citation. <ref></ref> | |||
Sen was the recipient in 2004 of the Paul Harrison award for a lifetime of service to the rural poor. This award is given annually by the ] in ], India to its alumni.<ref name="Appeal to World Health Organization (WHO) to support Dr Binayak Sen"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
|url=http://www.asiantribune.com/news/2011/04/14/appeal-world-health-organization-who-support-dr-binayak-sen | |||
|title=Appeal to World Health Organization (WHO) to support Dr Binayak Sen | |||
|last=Ramakant | |||
|first=Bobby | |||
|date=4 April 2011 | |||
|publisher=Asian Tribune | |||
|access-date=16 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
Sen was awarded the R. R. Keithan Gold Medal by The Indian Academy of Social Sciences (ISSA) on 31 December 2007. The citation describes him as "one of the most eminent scientists" of India. "The award is for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of science of Nature-Man-Society and his honest and sincere application for the improvement of quality of life of the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed people of Chhattisgarh." His "suffering and personal risk" would inspire scientists as well as the general public for a very long time, according to the citation.<ref>{{cite news | |||
Dr. Sen was selected for the ] for Global Health and Human Rights in 2008<ref></ref>, <ref></ref>. The Global Health Council issued a public statement, "This 58-year-old pediatrician was selected by an international jury of public health professionals for this prestigious award because of his years of service to poor and tribal communities in India, his effective leadership in establishing self-sustaining health care services where none existed, and his unwavering commitment to civil liberties and human rights. In addition to working with the PUCL, Sen and his wife, Dr. Ilina Sen, are the founders of Rupantar, a community-based nongovernmental organization that has trained, deployed and monitored the work of community health workers spread throughout 20 villages. Rupantar's activities include initiatives to counter alcohol abuse and violence against women, and to promote food security. Dr. Sen's accomplishments speak volumes about what can be achieved in very poor areas when health practitioners are also committed community leaders. He staffed a hospital created by and funded by impoverished mine workers, and he has spent his lifetime educating people about health practices and civil liberties -- providing information that has saved lives and improved conditions for thousands of people. His good works need to be recognized as a major contribution to India and to global health; they are certainly not a threat to state security." <ref></ref> | |||
| title = R.R. Keithan Gold Medal Award to Dr. Binayak Sen | |||
| url = http://www.esocialsciences.com/News/NewsDetails.asp?Newsid=330&newstype=1 | |||
| work = The Indian Legislator News | |||
| publisher = eSocialSciences.com | |||
| date = 26 December 2007 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080518064210/http://www.esocialsciences.com/News/NewsDetails.asp?Newsid=330&newstype=1 | |||
| archive-date = 18 May 2008 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Sen was selected for the ] for Global Health and Human Rights in 2008.<ref name=global>{{cite web | |||
==Human rights and peace== | |||
| last = Nanni | |||
Dr Sen is the National Vice-President of the ] (PUCL) and General Secretary of its Chhattisgarh unit. | |||
| first = Liza | |||
| title = Jailed Indian Doctor Wins 2008 Jonathan Mann Award | |||
| url = http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/9833 | |||
| date = 21 April 2008 | |||
| publisher = Global Health Council | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| archive-date = 2 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090502212311/http://www.globalhealth.org/news/article/9833 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
| first = Nora | |||
| last = Boustany | |||
| title = Nobel Laureates Unable to Win Release of Doctor | |||
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/29/AR2008052903578.html | |||
| newspaper=Washington Post | |||
| date = 30 May 2008 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref> The Global Health Council issued a public statement, "Dr. Sen's accomplishments speak volumes about what can be achieved in very poor areas when health practitioners are also committed community leaders. He staffed a hospital created by and funded by impoverished mine workers, and he has spent his lifetime educating people about health practices and civil liberties—providing information that has saved lives and improved conditions for thousands of people. His good works need to be recognized as a major contribution to India and to global health; they are certainly not a threat to state security."<ref name=reuters>{{cite news | |||
| title = Jailed Indian Pediatrician Wins 2008 Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights | |||
| url = https://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS212558+21-Apr-2008+PRN20080421 | |||
| publisher = Reuters | |||
| date = 21 April 2008 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| archive-date = 1 February 2013 | |||
| archive-url = https://archive.today/20130201065612/http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS212558+21-Apr-2008+PRN20080421 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Sen has been awarded the ] 2011<ref>{{cite web | |||
In his PUCL capacity, he has helped to organize numerous fact finding missions into human rights violations. He participated in investigations which drew attention to severe human rights violations including murder of unarmed and demonstrably innocent civilians, by ]. Dr. Sen has been noted for his advocacy of peaceful methods: in an interview with reporter Purnima S. Tripathi of the magazine '']'' in March 2006, he said of the violence in Chhattisgarh: ''"These senseless killings are unfortunate and must stop and both sides should sit down to talk and find a way to peace."'' (''Frontline'', Volume 23, Issue 05 : March 11 - 24, 2006). | |||
| title = Gwangju Prize for Human Rights 2011 | |||
| url = http://www.518.org/eng/html/main.html?act=dtl&TM18MF=05010000&idx=623 | |||
| date = 21 April 2011 | |||
| access-date = 22 April 2011 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
in memory of the ] of South Korea. The award announcement remarks "Dr Sen, as an accomplished medical practitioner has distinguished himself by his devotion to providing health services for the poor and by his strong advocacy against human rights violations and ] inflicted on the poor in Chhattisgarh, a state in central India." | |||
== Allegations of Naxalite links == | |||
In a recorded statement immediately preceding his arrest, Dr. Sen said, "For the past several years, we are seeing all over India - and as part of that in the state of Chhattisgarh as well - a concerted programme to expropriate from the poorest people in the Indian nation, their access to essentials, common property resources and to natural resources including land and water... The campaign called the Salwa Judoom in Chhattisgarh is a part of this process in which hundreds of villages have been denuded of the people living in them and hundreds of people - men and women - have been killed. Government-armed vigilantes have been deployed and the people who have been protesting against such moves and trying to bring before the world the reality of these campaigns - human rights workers like myself - have also been targeted through state action against them. At the present moment the workers of the Chhattisgarh PUCL (People's Union for Civil Liberties) the Chhattisgarh branch, of which I am General Secretary, have particularly become the target of such state action; and I, along with several of my colleagues, are being targeted by the Chhattisgarh state in the form of punitive action, illegal imprisonment. And all these measures are being taken especially under the aegis of the Chhattisgarh Public Security Act." | |||
=== Arrest in 2007 === | |||
On 31 March 2008, a Supreme Court of India bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam declared: "The allegation is that the state is arming private persons. You can deploy as many police personnel or armed forces to tackle the menace. But, if private persons, so armed by the state government, kill other persons, then the state is also liable to be prosecuted for abetting murder." <ref></ref> The bench was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by sociology professor Nandini Sundar, historian Ramachandra Guha and retired senior IAS officer E A S Sarma. They have sought a series of directions — withdraw state support to Salwa Judum, probe their excesses, register First Information Reports (FIRs) relating to crimes committed by Judum activists and compensate and rehabilitate those who suffered at their hands. | |||
On 14 May 2007, Sen was arrested in ] on the charges of acting as a courier between jailed Naxalite leader ] and businessman Piyush Guha, also accused of having links with Naxalites.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail">{{cite news | |||
| url = http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sc-grants-bail-to-civil-rights-activist-binayak-sen--watch/93311-3-p2.html | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090601001257/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/sc-grants-bail-to-civil-rights-activist-binayak-sen--watch/93311-3-p2.html | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-date = 1 June 2009 | |||
| title = SC grants bail to civil rights activist Binayak Sen | Watch | |||
| publisher=IBNLive | |||
| date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}</ref> Sen had met the 70-year-old Sanyal 33 times in Raipur jail, though all the visits were with prior police permission.<ref name="hindu_sc_bail_2008">{{cite news | |||
| url = http://www.hindu.com/holnus/002200712101862.htm | |||
| location = Chennai, India | |||
| work = The Hindu | |||
| title = SC dismisses bail plea of PUCL activist held for Naxal links | |||
| date = 10 December 2007 | |||
| access-date = 4 August 2010 | |||
| archive-date = 5 May 2011 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110505001144/http://www.hindu.com/holnus/002200712101862.htm | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> The Chhattisgarh police also reportedly relied on certain electronic documents to establish a link between Sen and Naxalites.<ref name=rights>{{cite news | |||
| title = Right activists seek fair trial for Binayak Sen | |||
| url = http://www.bombaynews.net/story/351354 | |||
| work = Indo-Asian News Service | |||
| publisher = BombayNews.net | |||
| date = 22 April 2008 | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110911003110/http://www.bombaynews.net/story/351354 | |||
| archive-date = 11 September 2011 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
The evidence presented against Sen included:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-case-analysis.html |title=Analysis of the case against Dr. Binayak Sen |publisher=Pucl.org |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110921154633/http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-case-analysis.html |archive-date=21 September 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> | |||
On 1 May 2008, the Report of an Expert Group to the Government of India's Planning Commission stated: "Encouragement of vigilante groups such as Salwa Judum and herding of hapless tribals in make-shift camps with dismal living conditions, removed from their habitat and deprived of livelihood as a strategy to counter the influence of the radical left is not desirable. It delegitimizes politics, dehumanizes people, degenerates those engaged in their ‘security’, and above all represents abdication of the State itself. It should be undone immediately." <ref></ref> | |||
* A post card dated 3 June 2006, written by Narayan Sanyal to Binayak Sen from Raipur Central Jail, regarding his health and legal case, duly signed by the Jail authorities | |||
* A yellow coloured book "On The Unity Between ] and ]". | |||
* A letter written by Madanlal Banjare of ] to Binayak Sen. | |||
* An article titled "Krantikari Janwadi Morcha (ITF) (Revolutionary People's Front) Vaishvikaran evam Bharatiya Seva Kshetra; (Globalization and the Service Sector in India) | |||
* Two articles titled "Naxal Movement, Tribals and Women's Movement" and "How to build an Anti-US Imperialist Front." | |||
The ] (CFSL), ] analysed the contents of Sen's computer during 6–11 June 2007, under the orders of the Session's Court. | |||
In an interview on 6 November 2008, Dr. Sen said: "I don’t condone the Naxals. I don’t approve of their violent methods. In fact, I’ve spoken strongly against them several times. I’d like to say three things. First, this case has no basis and I want it to end as soon as possible. I’m 58 years old, I haven’t given my family much attention all these years, I want to spend time with my wife and children. Second, Salwa Judum has to end. It has created a split in the tribal community. It will take a long time for the rift to heal. Third, establishing peace should be the first priority. I think we need to work to bring all parties to the negotiating table. It is the first thing I will work towards after I get out of here." <ref></ref> | |||
On 15 May 2007, Sen was presented before a local court where he was denied the bail and was remanded to judicial custody. On 18 May, he was produced in the Sessions Court, ]. The Court ordered a search of Sen's house at Katora Talab in ] in presence of independent witnesses and his wife, Ilina Sen. The search was conducted lawfully the next day.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> His bail plea was again rejected on 25 May, as the ] claimed that he was a threat to the security of the State.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> | |||
==Dr. Sen's arrest== | |||
On 14 May 2007, Dr. Sen was arrested in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh state, India. Dr. Sen and the People's Union for Civil Liberties had helped draw attention to the unlawful killing - on 31 March 2007 - of several adivasis in Santoshpur, Chhattisgarh. Upon orders from the State Human Rights Commission, bodies of the victims were exhumed from a mass grave in the week immediately preceding Dr. Sen's arrest. The Director General of Police in Chhattisgarh also ordered a police probe into the incident on 5 May 2007. According to a police official monitoring the investigation, autopsy reports confirmed that three of the victims were hit by bullets at close range on the head and waist while others were axed to death. <ref></ref> This account was corroborated by a videotaped interview with the Santoshpur "sarpanch" . The police official also told the Indo-Asian News Service on 9 May 2007: "It's certain that some police personnel crossed the limits and killed innocent villagers branding them as Maoist militants ... Now the government has to decide whether the cops involved in killings should be arrested or not." <ref></ref> | |||
=== Protests === | |||
"The government will not arrest the policemen involved in the killings," Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ramvichar Netam told the Indo-Asian News Service on 9 May 2007. <ref></ref> | |||
Various delegations of physicians and human rights activists meet chief secretary and law secretary to appeal for Sen's release.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> The people who were against the bail to Binayak Sen claimed that the protestors were not well versed with the workings of Binayak Sen or the ]. | |||
On 7 June 2007, Sen's wife Ilina Sen wrote a letter to the ], stating that the couple's work "has always been in the public sphere and completely overboard for the last 20 years and more."<ref>{{cite web | |||
Dr. Sen - who had helped focus attention on these and other unlawful killings - was detained on 14 May 2007. This came after week-long accusations by the police about Dr. Sen absconding; and of passing letters from Narayan Sanyal, a detained 'Naxalite' leader who he had been treating medically in the Raipur jail, to Pijush Guha an alleged Naxalite under detention since 1 May. Dr. Sen, following his arrest, told the media that this charge had no basis since his meetings with prisoners were undertaken openly, with the permission of the Deputy Superintendent of Police and under the close supervision of jail authorities. Dr. Sen also pointed out that contrary to allegations of "absconding", he had been on a holiday (planned long in advance) and had returned as soon as he heard about the allegations. | |||
| last = Sen | |||
| first = Illena | |||
| title = Dr Ilina Sen's letter to NHRC | |||
| url = http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-nhrc-letter.html | |||
| date = 7 June 2007 | |||
| publisher = PUCL.org | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207153343/http://pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-nhrc-letter.html | |||
| archive-date = 7 February 2009 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> It protests "the malafide intent of the state of Chhattisgarh in first identifying its victims, and then seeking to build up concocted cases against them." The submission apprehends a campaign of "media vilification" against Ilina Sen. | |||
], which saw the arrest as harassment of a human rights activist, declared his detention in breach of international law. It issued a call to the Government of Chhattisgarh to immediately release Sen, unless he could be charged with a cognisable offence.<ref>{{cite news | |||
Dr. Sen was detained under provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2006 (CSPSA), and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967), which was amended in 2004 to include key aspects of the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA), 2002. The POTA was repealed in 2004 following widespread criticism of abuse and human rights violations. The CSPSA and UAPA allow for arbitrary detention without any right of appeal. <ref></ref> | |||
| first = Hasan | |||
| last = Suroor | |||
On 16 May 2007, ] issued a call to the Government of Chhattisgarh to "immediately release Dr. Sen unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence and take urgent steps to end the harassment of the other human rights defenders in the state." <ref></ref> | |||
| title = Amnesty calls for the release of Binayak Sen | |||
| url = http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/25/stories/2009042554792400.htm | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090426111609/http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/25/stories/2009042554792400.htm | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-date = 26 April 2009 | |||
| date = 25 April 2009 | |||
| access-date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = Chennai, India | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On 7 June 2007, the ] published an ] entitled "Arrest of Dr. Binayak Sen" supported by several members of parliament across party lines, including ] (Labour), ] (Conservative), ] (Liberal Democrat), ] (Independent, Wales), Mike Weir (Scottish NP), among others.<ref>{{cite web | |||
On 18 May 2007, Dr. Sen appeared in court and asked to be shown the ], Complaint and the Grounds on which he was being detained. None were shown to him. The police request for transferring him from judicial remand into police custody was rejected by the court. He remained in judicial remand. | |||
| title = Notices of Motions for which no days have been fixed ('Early Day Motions') | |||
| url = https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmedm/70607e01.htm | |||
| date = 7 June 2007 | |||
| publisher=House of Commons, United Kingdom Parliament | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On 9 June 2007, the '']'' published an article about Sen's arrest. It states that Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, of Amnesty International, offered the following comment to BMJ about the supposed charges: "These offences allow sweeping interpretations of criminal intent. Activists in India are arrested all the time on such charges, which give wide, arbitrary powers to police." The same BMJ article reports a protest, outside the Indian High Commission in London, whose organiser is quoted as saying, "Dr Sen is a champion of peace and fair play and an internationally respected medical doctor who has devoted his whole life to peaceful service of the poorest people. He should be released immediately."<ref>BMJ 2007;334:1184–1185 (9 June)</ref> | |||
On 19 May 2007, the police searched Dr. Sen's house. According to independent observers present during the search and local press reports, no incriminating evidence was found. A complete and detailed inventory of items taken by the police was released by the PUCL. No ''banned'' items were found. <ref></ref> (- in Hindi). Items which police have described to the press as incriminating evidence turned out to be a postcard from the jailed Narayan Sanyal dated 3.6.2006, regarding the prisoner's health as well as his legal case, duly signed by the jail authorities and carrying the official jail seal. | |||
On 22 May 2007, Dr. Sen appeared in court again and was sent on judicial remand to ] Central Jail until 5 June, 2007. The Court passed an order that Dr. Sen's computer (now in police custody), would be examined by a government expert in the presence of the District Head of the National Informatics Centre, plus a lawyer - with knowledge of computers - representing Dr Sen. Dr Sen protested against attempts to handcuff him, and the court ordered that he should not be handcuffed. Dr Sen's lawyers then moved a bail application. | |||
] and several other prominent figures issued a press statement dated 16 June 2007 alleging that "Dr Sen's arrest is clearly an attempt to intimidate PUCL and other democratic voices that have been speaking out against human rights violations in the state."<ref>{{cite web | |||
On 7 June 2007, a submission from Dr. Binayak Sen's wife, Dr. Ilina Sen, to the National Human Rights Commission states that no "chargesheet" against Dr. Binayak Sen has been filed so far. The submission states that Dr. Binayak and Dr. Ilina Sen's work "has always been in the public sphere and completely overboard for the last 20 years and more." It protests "the malafide intent of the state of Chhattisgarh in first identifying its victims, and then seeking to build up concocted cases against them." The submission apprehends a campaign of "media vilification" against Dr. Ilina Sen. A special investigating team is stated to have visited the home of Dr. Ilina Sen's mother in Kolkata, enquiring about Dr. Ilina's antecedents. | |||
| title = "Release Binayak Sen": Noam Chomsky | |||
| url = http://www.savebinayak.ukaid.org.uk/4.html | |||
| publisher = Savebinayak.ukaid.org | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081201100252/http://www.savebinayak.ukaid.org.uk/4.html | |||
| archive-date = 1 December 2008 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
On 20 June 2007 a delegation from the PUCL met the Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh state, and objected to Sen being accused of supporting the Naxalites. The delegation insisted that Sen's visits to the jailed Naxalite Narayan Sanyal were for the latter's "medical treatment" and also regarding his legal case. They pointed out that these visits took place in the Raipur jail, following procedures laid down in the jail manual."<ref name=PUCL>{{cite web | |||
On 12 June 2007, in an interview with ABC Radio National (Australia), the noted Indian commentator ] said, "You have a number of studies, a number of reports and investigations done by the People's Union for Civil Liberties, of which Binayak is a leading member, on "fake encounters". The word "encounter" has a very special meaning in India. It means the police kill someone, he may be unarmed, he may be tied to a chair. Then he posthumously becomes a Maoist. That's immediately conferred on you in death. A number of studies on these encounters and on fake killings and on a vigilante war that the government is waging on the Maoists, is what ... reports on those: that's what got Binayak Sen into trouble... The charges brought against him - it's very interesting. The police now have sort of outsourced the smear campaign to the media. So the media bring incredible charges against him which the police then do not repeat in the court." <ref></ref> | |||
| title = PUCL meeting with Chhattisgarh CM | |||
| url = http://www.pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-cm-meeting.html | |||
| date = June 2007 | |||
| publisher = PUCL.org | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090207100202/http://pucl.org/Topics/Human-rights/2007/sen-cm-meeting.html | |||
| archive-date = 7 February 2009 | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> The PUCL delegation also raised objections about the analysis of Sen's computer in the absence of Sen's advocate and the independent court-appointed witness which they said could have offered the chance to tamper with evidence.<ref name=PUCL/> The court had ordered on 22 May 2007 that both these observers should be present during the examination of Sen's computer. | |||
Nobel laurate economist and thinker ] also criticised the December 2010 verdict for Sen's imprisonment. He stated that instead of getting his due honour for his service, Sen had met with an unfortunate verdict.<ref name="Pune activists hail freedom for Binayak Sen"> | |||
{{cite news | |||
|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report_pune-activists-hail-freedom-for-binayak-sen_1532462 | |||
|title=Pune activists hail freedom for Binayak Sen | |||
|author=DNA Correspondent | |||
|date=16 April 2011 | |||
|work=Daily News and Analysis | |||
|access-date=16 April 2011 | |||
|location=Pune, India}}</ref> | |||
===Rejection of Bail=== | |||
] and several other prominent figures issued a Press Statement dated 16 June 2007 alleging that "The fake encounters, rapes, burning of villages and displacement of adivasis in tens of thousands and consequent loss of livelihoods have been extensively chronicled by several independent investigations. Dr Sen's arrest is clearly an attempt to intimidate PUCL and other democratic voices that have been speaking out against human rights violations in the state." | |||
==== High Court ==== | |||
On 20 June 2007 a delegation from the PUCL met the Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh state. They objected to Dr. Sen - as a human rights defender, office-bearer of the People's Union for Civil Liberties and medical doctor - being made a co-accused in crimes alleged to be committed by the jailed extremist Narayan Sanyal. | |||
In July 2007, Sen's bail was rejected by the ] after Police claimed that they had got incriminating evidences against Binayk Sen from his hard disc belonging to him.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> | |||
=== Supreme Court === | |||
The CM raised the issue of Dr. Sen's meetings with the jailed Narayan | |||
In August 2007, a bench of Justices Ashok Bhan and V. S. Sirpurkar at the ] sought a response from the Chhattisgarh government after senior counsel Soli Sorabjee claimed that Sen was illegally detained since 14 May on fabricated charges of supporting Naxalites.<ref>{{cite news | |||
Sanyal. The delegation explained that these visits were for the | |||
| title = Notice to Chhattisgarh on bail plea of rights activist | |||
"medical treatment of Narayan Sanyal and also regarding his | |||
| url = http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160790500.htm | |||
legal case. Most important, all these visits took place in the Raipur | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071210121107/http://www.hindu.com/2007/09/01/stories/2007090160790500.htm | |||
jail, following procedures laid down in the jail manual." The delegation also explained to the CM that "human rights organizations represent a middle ground which make it possible for opposing forces to dialogue with each other... if human rights defenders are actively persecuted, then it leads to a situation where the state and opposing forces have no scope for dialogue and both have to take to the path of confrontation." | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-date = 10 December 2007 | |||
The PUCL delegation raised objections with the Chief Minister about the analysis of Dr. Sen's computer in the absence of Dr. Sen’s advocate and the independent court-appointed witness, raising the possibility of attempts to manufacture false evidence against Dr. Sen. The court had ordered on 22 May 2007 that both these observers should be present during the examination of Dr. Sen's computer. | |||
| date = 1 September 2007 | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = Chennai, India | |||
}}</ref> The report stated that the ] in Chhattisgarh had conceded Sen's peaceful approach however the DGP rejected the suggestion that Sen had been arrested for criticising crimes such as extra-judicial killings in staged "fake encounters". The DGP has stated his belief that "Dalits movements, women empowerment movements, human rights movements, environment protection movements" are all suspect because Naxalites want to penetrate and hijack "movements not linked with ]." | |||
In December 2007, Supreme Court dismissed Sen's bail petition.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> The bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and D K Jain refused to accept Sen's plea stating that he was only an activist of ] (PUCL) and was in no way connected with the banned outfit ]. Bench while rejecting his arguments observed: ''"You are emphasising too much on PUCL. This does not mean that you are immune. This also does not mean your are not associated with banned activities."'''<ref>{{cite news|title=SC denies bail to PUCL activist|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/sc-denies-bail-to-pucl-activist/248847|access-date=27 March 2013|newspaper=Indian Express|date=11 December 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=SC dismisses bail plea of PUCL activist held for naxal links|url=http://www.hindu.com/holnus/002200712101862.htm|access-date=27 March 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|date=10 December 2007|archive-date=5 May 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110505001144/http://www.hindu.com/holnus/002200712101862.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Responding to the delegation’s view that the Chief Minister is being misled by the police, who appear to be determined to fabricate a case against Dr. Sen, the Chief Minister is reported to have assured them that he would look into the matter. | |||
=== Confinement === | |||
Meanwhile, the Central Forensic Laboratory in Hyderabad has given a "clean" certificate to Dr. Binayak Sen's computer which was seized during the search of his house. No incriminating evidence was found in the computer. | |||
Sen was kept in solitary confinement during the period from 15 March to 11 April 2008. The prison authorities stated that this was for his security.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /><ref>{{cite web | |||
| title = Indian Human Rights Defender Dr. Binayak Sen subjected to unlawful Solitary Confinement | |||
| url = http://www.prlog.org/10063737-indian-human-rights-defender-dr-binayak-sen-subjected-to-unlawful-solitary-confinement.html | |||
| date = 11 April 2008 | |||
| work=Free Dr Binyak Campaign | |||
| publisher=PRLog | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref> Sen's wife Ilina stated that he has been isolated from the world during his year of imprisonment, with access to only pro-government newspaper. | |||
On 29 April 2008, ] in New York issued a public statement regarding the trial of Sen due to begin in Raipur on 30 April 2008: "the district court's limit of one supporter of the defendant at the trial is unnecessarily restrictive and raises broader concerns about the fairness of the trial."<ref>{{cite web | |||
On 31 August 2007 the Supreme Court of India issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on a petition seeking Dr. Sen's release from alleged illegal detention. A bench of Justices Ashok Bhan and V S Sirpurkar sought response from the Chhattisgarh government after senior counsel Soli Sorabjee claimed that Dr. Sen was illegally detained since May 14 on fabricated charges of supporting Naxalites. <ref></ref> | |||
| title = India: Fair Trial Doubtful for Honored Rights Advocate | |||
| url = https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2008/04/28/india-fair-trial-doubtful-honored-rights-advocate | |||
| date = 28 April 2008 | |||
| publisher=Human Rights Watch | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
The Global Health Council, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and several other prominent global health organisations issued a joint statement of support for Sen, requesting that Indian authorities allow the doctor to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights in person in Washington, D.C., on 29 May 2008, at the 35th Annual International Conference on Global Health.<ref name=global/> The declaration stated: "We would also like to convey our concern and dismay that Dr. Sen remains imprisoned, after nearly one year without trial, on allegations that he passed notes from a rebel leader whom he treated in jail to a person outside the prison. Dr. Sen has denied all wrongdoing and nothing in his character or history, as a dedicated community leader who has urged a peaceful settlement to this conflict for years, would support the accusations made against him. These allegations have not been substantiated or proven and have prevented Dr. Sen from providing his much-needed health services to the poor in his area, as well as his community leadership activities as an officer of the People's Union for Civil Liberties."<ref>{{cite web | |||
On 2 November 2007 a Court in Raipur, Chhattisgarh, ordered the Prosecution to hand over to Dr. Binayak Sen the DVD copy of his computer's CPU, which they had been refusing to do on the pretext that it was "not a document". | |||
| title = Statement of Support for Dr. Binayak Sen | |||
| url = http://www.globalhealth.org/images/pdf/conf_2008/042108_statmt_support_dr_sen.pdf | |||
The date for the hearing of Dr. Sen's bail petition in the Supreme Court of India was fixed for Monday, 10 December 2007. A Bench consisting of a senior and a junior judge was appointed to hear the appeal for bail. The initial junior judge was subsequently replaced by another. On 8 December 2007, the Chhattisgarh government invited the senior member of this Bench to Raipur as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a Legal Aid Centre, and extended its hospitality to him till 9 December 2007. The next day, upon the senior judge's return to the Supreme Court in Delhi, the Bench dismissed Dr. Binayak Sen’s appeal for bail within approximately only thirty-five minutes. | |||
| date = 21 April 2008 | |||
| publisher = Global Health | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| archive-date = 7 June 2011 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607051229/http://www.globalhealth.org/images/pdf/conf_2008/042108_statmt_support_dr_sen.pdf | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world wrote to India's President and Prime Minister and Chhattisgarh state authorities. They said Sen should be allowed to travel to the US to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. "We also wish to express grave concern that Dr Sen appears to be incarcerated solely for peacefully exercising his fundamental human rights," the letter said. This is "in contravention of Articles 19 (freedom of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – to which India is a state party – and that he is charged under two internal security laws that do not comport with international human rights standards," it added.<ref>{{cite news | |||
On 23 December 2007, a feature article in the press suggested that Dr. Sen has suffered considerable weight loss during his imprisonment. | |||
| title = Nobel appeal for rights activist | |||
| url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7395540.stm | |||
The same report stated that the Director General of Police (DGP) in Chhattisgarh had conceded Dr. Binayak Sen's peaceful approach. However, the DGP rejected the suggestion that Dr. Sen had been arrested for criticising crimes such as extra-judicial killings in staged "fake encounters". The DGP has stated his belief that "Dalits movements, women empowerment movements, human rights movements, environment protection movements" are all suspect because Maoists want to penetrate and hijack "movements not linked with CPI (Maoist)." | |||
|publisher=BBC News | date = 12 May 2008 | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | |||
| title = Nobel laureates seek release of Binayak Sen | |||
| url = http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/13/stories/2008051353981000.htm | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080517071936/http://www.hindu.com/2008/05/13/stories/2008051353981000.htm | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-date = 17 May 2008 | |||
| date = 12 May 2008 | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| work = ] | |||
| location = Chennai, India | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Doctors across India started holding free clinics for the poor in tribute to the example of Sen and to peacefully campaign for his release.<ref>{{cite news | |||
On 31 December 2007, the R.R. Keithan Gold Medal of the Indian Academy of Social Sciences was conferred on Dr. Binayak Sen (in absentia) at a function chaired by Dr. B. N. Mungekar, Member, Planning Commission of India, and Chairperson of the Indian Academy of Social Sciences. Dr. Ilina Sen received the award on behalf of her husband since Dr. Binayak Sen's request for parole to accept the award had been turned down. The citation stated that "the Academy recognizes the resonance between the work of Dr. Binayak Sen in all it's aspects with the values promoted by the Father of the Nation" ]. | |||
|work=The Hindu | |||
| location = Bangalore, India | |||
| date = 26 April 2008 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
The ] led by the ] which is the opposition party in the state of ] reacted strongly to international appeals for the release of Dr Binayak Sen. The Government feels that the issue around Dr Binayak Sen is a well orchestrated campaign and just because he is selected for a western award, does not make him less guilty in their view. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the State Government is right in opposing Dr Sen's appeal.<ref name="hindu_sc_bail_2008"/> | |||
On 31 March 2008, the Supreme Court of India heard two petitions seeking a direction to the Chhattisgarh state government to refrain from allegedly supporting and encouraging the Salwa Judum. A Bench comprising Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan and Justice Aftab Alam said: “It is a question of law and order. You cannot give arms to somebody (a civilian) and allow him to kill. You will be an abettor of the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code .” <ref></ref>. The Bench said a neutral agency should inquire and assess whether people had joined Salwa Judum camps on their own. Reacting to the Supreme Court observation, Chhattisgarh Home Minister Ram Vichar Netam said his government was also of the view that giving arms to civilians was wrong. Dr. Sen remains in a Chhattisgarh jail following his outspoken criticism of crimes committed by the state-backed civilian militia, the Salwa Judum. | |||
=== Trial === | |||
On 11 April 2008, it was revealed that Dr. Binayak Sen had been subjected to solitary confinement for nearly a month. According to a press statement, "Though Dr Sen's status as a regular prisoner has now been restored, following widespread protests against the move, activists have called for a thorough official investigation of the fact that he was kept in isolation for nearly a month. Police officials in Raipur have justified their action by claiming Dr. Sen was kept in isolation 'for his own security' but failed to explain the nature or source of the threat to him." | |||
On 3 August 2007, Chhattisgarh Police filed charge-sheets under the ] and the ] in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyabhama Dubey against Sen.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> | |||
The trial against Binayak Sen began in the ] in ] on 30 May 2008.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> On 4 May 2008, Supreme Court issued notice to Chhattisgarh government on Sen's bail plea. It asked the state government to provide "best medical aid" to Sen, who is suffering from a heart ailment.<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> | |||
On 11 August 2008, a second bail petition was filed in the ] in ].<ref name="ibnlive_2009_bail" /> On 21 October, Sen made a public appeal and proposal for peace in South Bastar.<ref>{{cite news | |||
On 21 April 2008, the Global Health Council announced that Dr. Binayak Sen was selected for the highest international honour in Global Health and Human Rights, the Jonathan Mann Award 2008. The Mann Award is presented annually at the Global Health Councils international conference to "a practitioner who makes significant contributions toward practical work in the field and in difficult circumstances; highlights the linkage of health with human rights; works predominantly in developing countries and with marginalized people; and demonstrates serious and long-term commitment." <ref></ref>. | |||
| last = Sen | |||
| first = Ilina | |||
| title = An appeal for peace in South Bastar | |||
| date = 21 October 2008 | |||
| work = The Hindu | |||
| location = India | |||
}}</ref> | |||
=== Grant of bail by the Supreme Court === | |||
The Global Health Council and several prominent global health organizations issued a statement of support for Dr. Sen, requesting that Indian authorities assure the restoration of due process, and find the means to allow the doctor to receive his award in person in Washington, DC on May 29th, 2008, at the 35th Annual International Conference on Global Health. "His good works need to be recognized as a major contribution to India and to global health; they are certainly not a threat to state security", according to the Council. | |||
Sen was granted bail on 25 May 2009 by a vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Deepak Verma as his health conditions were deteriorating.<ref>{{cite news | |||
| title = Binayak Sen gets bail at last, family relieved | |||
| url = http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200905251707.htm | |||
| work = The Hindu | |||
| date = 25 May 2009 | |||
| access-date = 26 May 2009 | |||
| location = Chennai, India | |||
| archive-date = 28 May 2009 | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090528094554/http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200905251707.htm | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
}}</ref> | |||
=== Conviction, sentencing and bail === | |||
Sources at Chhattisgarh police headquarters are reported to have said that they rely on certain electronic documents to establish a link between Dr. Sen and Maoists. Girdhari Nayak, inspector general of police in Chhattisgarh is reported to have said "I only know the police are committed to ensure punishment for Sen, who has been charged with conspiracy, treason and anti-national activities." | |||
On 24 December 2010, the Additional Sessions and District Court Judge B.P Varma ] found Binayak Sen, Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha, guilty of sedition for helping the Maoists in their fight against the state. They were sentenced to ].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/25/world/asia/25india.html|title = India Sentences Doctor to Life for Aiding Rebels|newspaper = The New York Times|date = 24 December 2010|last1 = Kumar|first1 = Hari}}</ref><ref name="The Times of India">{{cite news | |||
| url = http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dr-Binayak-Sen-found-guilty-of-treason-gets-life-imprisonment/articleshow/7156208.cms#ixzz191pfBuqX | |||
| title = Dr Binayak Sen found guilty of treason, gets life imprisonment | |||
|work=The Times of India |location=India | |||
| date = 25 December 2010 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}</ref> Immediately after the sentencing, Dr. Sen's bail was revoked and he was taken back into custody.<ref>, ''DemocracyNow.org'', 27 December 2010. With link to May 2010 interview by producer Anjali Kamat with Dr. Sen, . Retrieved 27 December 2010.</ref> | |||
Binayak Sen was held guilty under ] 2005, ] 1967, of being a conduit between Naxals and of meeting Narayan Sanyal in jail. The trio has also been convicted under provisions of section 124A of ] (IPC) (sedition) and 120-B ] (conspiracy).<ref>{{cite web | |||
Rajendra K. Sail, state president of PUCL, is reported to have said: "The Chhattisgarh government will get exposed before the world soon for targeting human rights activists, mainly from PUCL, under the cover of black laws such as the CSPSA (Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act, 2006), for carrying out campaign against fake civilians encounters, arrests and committing crimes against humanity through Salwa Judum. I have maintained since Sen's arrest last May that the Chhattisgarh government has no evidence against him. We challenge the government to bring charges against him under the Criminal Procedure Code and not hide behind the black laws." | |||
| url = http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dr-binayak-sen-3-others-held-guilty-of-treason/138496-3.html | |||
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101227084803/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/dr-binayak-sen-3-others-held-guilty-of-treason/138496-3.html | |||
| url-status = dead | |||
| archive-date = 27 December 2010 | |||
| title = Binayak Sen guilty of treason, gets life term | |||
| publisher=CNN-IBN | |||
| date = 25 December 2010 | |||
| access-date = 25 December 2010 | |||
}}</ref> | |||
Binayak Sen's sentence has been condemned both in India<ref>{{cite news|author=PTI |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1094769.ece |title=Artistes protest Binayak's conviction |work=The Hindu |location=India |date=15 January 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/Activists-meet-to-protest-Binayak-Sen-s-conviction/Article1-651690.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110204194259/http://www.hindustantimes.com/Activists-meet-to-protest-Binayak-Sen-s-conviction/Article1-651690.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 February 2011 |title=Activists meet to protest Binayak Sen's conviction |work=Hindustan Times |location=India |date=18 January 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/28/stories/2010122865091400.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101230011601/http://www.hindu.com/2010/12/28/stories/2010122865091400.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=30 December 2010 |title=Mounting outrage against Binayak conviction |location=India |date=28 December 2010 |work=] |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> and internationally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/indian-american-activists-in-boston-protest-sens-sentence/729484/ |title=Indian American activists in Boston protest Sen's sentence |work=The Indian Express |location=India |date=26 December 2010 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/uk/Protest-in-UK-against-Binayak-Sens-life-sentence/articleshow/7367947.cms |title=Protest in UK against Binayak Sen's life sentence |publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=26 January 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> Nobel Laureate ] has condemned the judgement as "unjust".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/09/stories/2011010962781300.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110111080300/http://www.hindu.com/2011/01/09/stories/2011010962781300.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 January 2011 |title=Binayak's work is great, his conviction unjust: Amartya Sen |location=India |date=9 January 2011 |work=] |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
A public statement of support from several leading health organizations including the Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School declares: "We, the undersigned organizations, wish to convey to the relevant authorities in the government of India and state of Chhattisgarh our sincere pleasure in announcing that a citizen of India, Dr. Binayak Sen, has been selected to receive the prestigious Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights for 2008... We would also like to convey our concern and dismay that Dr. Sen remains imprisoned, after nearly one year without trial, on allegations that he passed notes from a rebel leader whom he treated in jail to a person outside the prison. Dr. Sen has denied all wrong doing and nothing in his character or history, as a dedicated community leader who has urged a peaceful settlement to this conflict for years, would support the accusations made against him. These allegations have not been substantiated or proven and have prevented Dr. Sen from providing his much-needed health services to the poor in his area, as well as his community leadership activities as an officer of the People's Union for Civil Liberties. We kindly request that the relevant government authorities at the state and national levels address this case fairly and swiftly and consider fully the tremendous contributions that Dr. Sen has brought not only to communities in Chhattisgarh, but to all of India and to the world. | |||
Against this judgement, Binayak again applied for bail on 6 January 2011. An eight-member delegation of the European Union were present at the court during the entire hearing. On 25 January 2011, the Chhattisgarh High Court heard his bail plea for the second consecutive day and then fixed 9 February for the next hearing. The court denied bail to him during the subsequent hearing.<ref>{{cite news | |||
We request that means be found to release Dr. Sen to attend the 35th Annual International Conference on Global Health in Washington, D.C., where he has been invited to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in person on May 29, 2008... Dr. Sen's attendance at the awards' ceremony on May 29 will not, in our opinion, jeopardize the judicial process in India, a country that prides itself as the world's largest democracy where human rights and the rule of law are respected and practiced, and we urge you to make this possible." | |||
| url = http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Indian-Court-Denies-Bail-to-Indian-Doctor-Jailed-For-Life-115714314.html | |||
| title = Indian Court Denies Bail to Indian Doctor Jailed For Life | |||
| author=Anjana Pasricha | |||
| publisher=] | |||
| date = 10 February 2011 | |||
| access-date = 10 February 2011 | |||
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/697090/ |title=Pijush Piyush Babun Guha vs State of Chhattisgarh on 10 February, 2011 |publisher=Indiankanoon.org |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
Dr. Sen had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which had rejected his bail plea on 10 February 2011.<ref>{{cite news|author=PTI |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1512109.ece |title=Supreme Court to hear Binayak Sen's bail plea on March 11 |work=The Hindu |location=India |date=5 March 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> Dr. Sen has sought bail contending that the trial court has erred in convicting him as there was no substantial evidence against him. Human rights and social activists have described Dr. Sen's conviction and sentence as "politically motivated."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-12/news/28683850_1_links-with-maoist-ideologue-kolkata-businessman-piyush-guha-binayak-sen |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721192744/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-03-12/news/28683850_1_links-with-maoist-ideologue-kolkata-businessman-piyush-guha-binayak-sen |url-status=dead |archive-date=21 July 2011 |title=SC notice to Chhattisgarh govt in Binayak Sen case |publisher=Articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com |date=12 March 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
In an interview with NDTV following the Award, Dr. Sen's wife Dr. Ilina Sen revealed that he has been isolated from the world during his year of imprisonment, with access to only one newspaper which is pro-government. The NDTV feature also depicts Dr. Binayak Sen declaring, "I did not do anything in secret. Whatever I did was in the cause of human rights." Dr. Ilina Sen said that even when Dr. Binayak Sen knew that his arrest was coming, he returned to Chhattisgarh. "We are law abiding people", she said, and expressed the hope that the government would make it possible for Dr. Sen to receive his award in Washington. <ref> </ref> | |||
The Supreme Court on 11 March 2011 issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on a petition by rights activist Binayak Sen seeking bail and stay on his life imprisonment imposed by a sessions court for his links with Maoists. A bench of Justices' H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad asked the Chhattisgarh government to file its response within four weeks. The bench passed the order despite counsel for Dr. Sen seeking adjournment of the matter.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/SC-issues-notice-to-Ch-garh-HC-in-Binayak-case/Article1-672026.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110314045338/http://www.hindustantimes.com/SC-issues-notice-to-Ch-garh-HC-in-Binayak-case/Article1-672026.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 March 2011 |title=SC issues notice to Ch'garh HC in Binayak case |work=Hindustan Times |location=India |date=11 March 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> | |||
On 29 April 2008, Human Rights Watch in New York issued a public statement regarding the trial of Dr. Sen due to begin in Raipur on 30 April 2008: "the district court’s limit of one supporter of the defendant at the trial is unnecessarily restrictive and raises broader concerns about the fairness of the trial." | |||
On 15 April 2011, the Supreme Court of India has granted bail to Dr. Binayak Sen, after questioning the sedition charge against him<ref name="SC grants bail to Binayak Sen"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/153747/supreme-court-grants-bail-binayak.html |title=SC bail to Binayak Sen, questions conviction for sedition |work=Deccan Herald |location=India |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen-drops-sedition-charges-against-him/articleshow/7987813.cms |title=SC grants bail to Binayak Sen, says no case for sedition charge |publisher=Timesofindia.indiatimes.com |date=15 April 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> and adding that "the question of passing letters or documents does not arise."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/18/stories/2011041851811000.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110112857/http://www.hindu.com/2011/04/18/stories/2011041851811000.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=10 November 2012 |title=A lesson in justice for Chhattisgarh |location=India |date=18 April 2011 |work=] |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref> However the apex court said it was giving no reason for granting bail to 61-year-old Sen and left it to the satisfaction of the trial court concerned to impose the conditions for his release on bail.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.timesnow.tv/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen/articleshow/4370495.cms |title=Times Now: SC grants bail to Binayak Sen – 15 Apr 2011 |publisher=Timesnow.tv |date=15 April 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326034007/http://www.timesnow.tv/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen/articleshow/4370495.cms |archive-date=26 March 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Order of the Supreme Court of India - Binayak Sen vs. State of Chhattisgarh|url=http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/sr%20205311p.txt|publisher=Supreme Court of India|access-date=3 November 2014|archive-date=23 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523003637/http://courtnic.nic.in/supremecourt/temp/sr%20205311p.txt|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
Media reports said that no evidence of sedition had been produced against the accused by the Chhattisgarh Government.<ref name="SC grants bail to Binayak Sen, says no case for sedition charge">{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/SC-grants-bail-to-Binayak-Sen-drops-sedition-charges-against-him/articleshow/7987813.cms|title=SC grants bail to Binayak Sen, says no case for sedition charge|last=Sharma|first=Supriya |author2=Dhananjay Mahapatra |date=15 April 2011|work=Times of India |access-date=16 April 2011|location=New Delhi, India}}</ref> According to '']'', one of the two judges told the senior state counsel ""We are a democratic country. He may be a sympathiser. That does not make him guilty of sedition." Drawing an analogy, he asked Mr. Lalit: “if Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography is found in somebody's place, is he a Gandhian? No case of sedition is made out on the basis of materials in possession unless you show that he was actively helping or harbouring them .""<ref>{{cite news|last=Vekatesen|first=J.|title=Binayak Sen gets bail in Supreme Court|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article1698939.ece?homepage=true|access-date=21 January 2013|newspaper=Hindu Times|date=15 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
last entry on: 12 May 2008 | |||
The case has generated interests of Indian and foreign NGOs<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ummid.com/news/2011/February/09.02.2011/court_verdict_on_binayak_sen.htm |title=Binayak Sen's bail plea: High court reserves order |publisher=ummid.com |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/123349/human-rights-activist-binayak-sen.html |title=Human rights activist Binayak Sen gets life for 'treason' |work=Deccan Herald |date=24 December 2010 |location=India |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/NGO-seeks-Binayak-Sens-release/articleshow/7224883.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120919213433/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-01-05/ludhiana/28363522_1_binayak-sen-ngo-human-right-activist | url-status=live | archive-date=19 September 2012 |location=India | work=] | title=NGO seeks Binayak Sen's release |date=5 January 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freebinayaksen.org/?page_id=623 |title=Global Action " Free Binayak Sen |publisher=Freebinayaksen.org |access-date=18 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111016235818/http://www.freebinayaksen.org/?page_id=623 |archive-date=16 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and governments.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news682229.html |title=Going to "see" how courts handle Binayak Sen case: UN official |publisher=Zeenews.com |date=21 January 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.zeenews.com/news682542.html |title=EU observers to watch Binayak Sen's trial |publisher=Zeenews.com |date=23 January 2011 |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rediff.com/news/report/eu-team-attends-binayak-sens-bail-hearing/20110124.htm |title=EU team attends Binayak Sen's bail hearing – Rediff.com India News |work=Rediff.com |access-date=18 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/EU-team-to-track-Binayak-Sens-SC-hearing/articleshow/7930301.cms | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111106001127/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-10/india/29402958_1_eu-delegation-sedition-proceedings | url-status=live | archive-date=6 November 2011 |location=India | work=] | title=EU team to track Binayak Sen's SC hearing |date=10 April 2011}}</ref> | |||
==Worldwide condemnation of arrest== | |||
== See also == | |||
Twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world wrote to India's President and Prime Minister and Chhattisgarh state authorities. They said Dr Sen should be allowed to travel to the US to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. "We also wish to express grave concern that Dr Sen appears to be incarcerated solely for peacefully exercising his fundamental human rights," the letter said. This is "in contravention of Articles 19 (freedom of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - to which India is a state party - and that he is charged under two internal security laws that do not comport with international human rights standards," it added. <ref></ref> <ref></ref> | |||
* ] | |||
* ] (PUCL) | |||
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== Publications == | |||
Protests against Dr Sen's arrest have been led by prominent personalities such as ], Nobel Prize winner ], Magsaysay Prize winner ], Booker Prize winner Arundathi Roy, retired judge Rajinder Sachar of the Delhi High Court, film maker ] and many eminent medical professors and scientists in India, the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and beyond. | |||
* Minnie Vaid (2011) ''A Doctor to Defend: The Binayak Sen Story.'' Publisher: Rajpal PP: 243, {{ISBN|9788170289272}} | |||
* Ilina Sen, ''Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir.'' Penguin Books India, 2014. {{ISBN|978-0-143-41404-9}}. (Ilina Sen is the spouse of Binayak Sen) | |||
== References == | |||
Many Indian human rights groups have protested the arrest. A list can be found at | |||
{{Reflist}} | |||
== External links == | |||
On 24 May 2007, ] issued a Public Statement entitled: "India: Chattisgarh government detains human rights defender, refuses to arrest police officials suspected of involvement in unlawful killings of adivasis ." | |||
{{Commons category|Binayak Sen}} | |||
* | |||
* http://www.thebrahmosamaj.net/articles/binayaksen.html | |||
{{Footer Gwangju Prize for Human Rights laureates|state=expanded}} | |||
On 7 June 2007, the ] published an ] entitled "Arrest of Dr. Binayak Sen" supported by several ] across party lines, including ] (Labour), ] (Conservative), ] (Liberal Democrat), ] (Independent, Wales), Mike Weir (Scottish NP), among others. . | |||
{{Footer Gandhi International Peace Award recipients|state=expanded}} | |||
{{Authority control}} | |||
It begins: "''That this House is concerned at the arbitrary arrest of the human rights activist and General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh unit of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Dr Binayak Sen, in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh; notes with concern that this arrest has taken place in the aftermath of the alleged involvement by the police in the unlawful killing of 12 adivasis or tribal people''". It ends by calling for Dr. Sen's immediate release and an end to the harassment of the other human rights defenders in the state. | |||
On 9 June 2007, the ''British Medical Journal'' published an article about Dr. Sen's arrest. It states that Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, of Amnesty International, offered the following comment to BMJ about the supposed charges: "These offences allow sweeping interpretations of criminal intent. Activists in India are arrested all the time on such charges, which give wide, arbitrary powers to police." | |||
The same BMJ article reports a protest, outside the Indian High Commission in London, whose organiser is quoted as saying, "Dr Sen is a champion of peace and fair play and an internationally respected medical doctor who has devoted his whole life to peaceful service of the poorest people. He should be released immediately." BMJ 2007;334:1184-1185 (9 June) | |||
The Wall Street Journal of 12 November 2007 carried an article about Dr. Binayak Sen entitled "Indian Unrest Ensnares a Doctor - 'Rights Activists' | |||
Such as Dr. Sen Caught in Middle" (subscription required); with a follow-up letter in the WSJ of 16 November 2007 entitled "Good Works, Bad Reward". | |||
Doctors across India have started holding free clinics for the poor in tribute to the example of Dr. Sen, and to peacefully campaign for his release. (The Hindu newspaper, Bangalore - April 26th 2008) | |||
==References== | |||
Zachariah, A and Bhattacharji, S. Arrest of paediatrician and human rights activist Binayak Sen. The Lancet. 2007; 369(9580):2155 | |||
==See also== | |||
*] (PUCL) | |||
==References== | |||
{{reflist}} | |||
==External links== | |||
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Latest revision as of 13:39, 31 December 2024
Binayak Sen বিনায়ক সেন | |
---|---|
Sen in Wardha, 2011 | |
Born | (1950-01-04) 4 January 1950 (age 74) |
Nationality | Indian |
Education | MBBS and MD (Paediatrics) |
Alma mater | Calcutta Boys' School, Kolkata. Christian Medical College, Vellore. |
Occupation(s) | Physician, activist |
Organization(s) | People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) Taught at JNU Delhi for 2 years |
Known for | Human rights activism |
Criminal charge(s) | Sedition, Criminal Conspiracy |
Criminal penalty | Life imprisonment |
Criminal status | Trial court, released on Bail pending Appeal. |
Spouse | Ilina Sen |
Awards | Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights (2008) |
Binayak Sen (Hindi: बिनायक सेन, Bengali: বিনায়ক সেন) is a naxal kingpin, paediatrician, and public health specialist. He is the national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). He is the recipient of several awards including the Jonathan Mann Award, the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights, and the Gandhi International Peace Award.
Binayak Sen originally started working as a paediatrician extending health care to poor people in the rural-tribal areas of the Chhattisgarh state, doubling up as a human rights activist. While Sen has worked with the state government on health sector reform he has also strongly criticised the government on human rights violations during the anti-Naxalite operations, while advocating non-violent political engagement.
In May 2007, he was detained for allegedly supporting the outlawed Naxalites which would violate the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005 (CSPSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967. Sen first applied for bail before the Raipur Sessions Court and then the Chhattisgarh High Court in July 2007, soon after his arrest. Sen spent over two years in jail on charges of acting as a courier between Naxal leader Sanyal and businessman Piyush Guha. He was also accused of having associations with the CPI (Maoist), a group linked to the Naxal movement. but was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India on 25 May 2009.
In 2010, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by Raipur Sessions Court, Chhattisgarh, for sedition and helping Naxalites to set up a network to fight the State. He was granted bail on 15 April 2011 by the Supreme Court of India which gave no reason for the order. Sen has filed an appeal before the Chhattisgarh High Court and the case is pending.
Career as a doctor
Binayak Sen and his wife Ilina Sen played key roles in the foundation of the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha's Shaheed Hospital which is owned and operated by a workers' organisation. He is also an advisor to Jan Swasthya Sahyog, a health care organisation. He has also been published in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet (in its edition of 12 February 2011) where he talks about the severe inaccessibility of the healthcare to the poor in India. The article was hailed as reaffirmation of support to Dr Sen by the international community by Ilina Sen.
PUCL activist
Sen is the National Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and General Secretary of its Chhattisgarh unit. In this capacity, he helped organise numerous investigations into alleged human rights violations carried out during anti-Naxalite operations. The alleged violations included the murder of unarmed and innocent civilians by the anti-Naxalite movement Salwa Judum.
In a 2008 interview, Sen stated that he does not condone the Naxalites, does not approve of their violent methods, and has spoken strongly against them several times. But, he also expressed his opposition to the violent activities carried out by Salwa Judum, which he believes, have created a split in the tribal community. Sen advocates peaceful methods such as negotiations to solve the Naxalite problem.
Awards and honours
Sen was the recipient in 2004 of the Paul Harrison award for a lifetime of service to the rural poor. This award is given annually by the Christian Medical College in Vellore, India to its alumni.
Sen was awarded the R. R. Keithan Gold Medal by The Indian Academy of Social Sciences (ISSA) on 31 December 2007. The citation describes him as "one of the most eminent scientists" of India. "The award is for his outstanding contribution to the advancement of science of Nature-Man-Society and his honest and sincere application for the improvement of quality of life of the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed people of Chhattisgarh." His "suffering and personal risk" would inspire scientists as well as the general public for a very long time, according to the citation.
Sen was selected for the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights in 2008. The Global Health Council issued a public statement, "Dr. Sen's accomplishments speak volumes about what can be achieved in very poor areas when health practitioners are also committed community leaders. He staffed a hospital created by and funded by impoverished mine workers, and he has spent his lifetime educating people about health practices and civil liberties—providing information that has saved lives and improved conditions for thousands of people. His good works need to be recognized as a major contribution to India and to global health; they are certainly not a threat to state security."
Sen has been awarded the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights 2011 in memory of the Gwangju Democratization Movement of South Korea. The award announcement remarks "Dr Sen, as an accomplished medical practitioner has distinguished himself by his devotion to providing health services for the poor and by his strong advocacy against human rights violations and structural violence inflicted on the poor in Chhattisgarh, a state in central India."
Allegations of Naxalite links
Arrest in 2007
On 14 May 2007, Sen was arrested in Bilaspur on the charges of acting as a courier between jailed Naxalite leader Narayan Sanyal and businessman Piyush Guha, also accused of having links with Naxalites. Sen had met the 70-year-old Sanyal 33 times in Raipur jail, though all the visits were with prior police permission. The Chhattisgarh police also reportedly relied on certain electronic documents to establish a link between Sen and Naxalites.
The evidence presented against Sen included:
- A post card dated 3 June 2006, written by Narayan Sanyal to Binayak Sen from Raipur Central Jail, regarding his health and legal case, duly signed by the Jail authorities
- A yellow coloured book "On The Unity Between CPI (Peoples' War) and Maoist Communist Centre".
- A letter written by Madanlal Banjare of CPI (Maoist) to Binayak Sen.
- An article titled "Krantikari Janwadi Morcha (ITF) (Revolutionary People's Front) Vaishvikaran evam Bharatiya Seva Kshetra; (Globalization and the Service Sector in India)
- Two articles titled "Naxal Movement, Tribals and Women's Movement" and "How to build an Anti-US Imperialist Front."
The Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL), Hyderabad analysed the contents of Sen's computer during 6–11 June 2007, under the orders of the Session's Court.
On 15 May 2007, Sen was presented before a local court where he was denied the bail and was remanded to judicial custody. On 18 May, he was produced in the Sessions Court, Raipur. The Court ordered a search of Sen's house at Katora Talab in Raipur in presence of independent witnesses and his wife, Ilina Sen. The search was conducted lawfully the next day. His bail plea was again rejected on 25 May, as the Chhattisgarh Police claimed that he was a threat to the security of the State.
Protests
Various delegations of physicians and human rights activists meet chief secretary and law secretary to appeal for Sen's release. The people who were against the bail to Binayak Sen claimed that the protestors were not well versed with the workings of Binayak Sen or the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency.
On 7 June 2007, Sen's wife Ilina Sen wrote a letter to the National Human Rights Commission, stating that the couple's work "has always been in the public sphere and completely overboard for the last 20 years and more." It protests "the malafide intent of the state of Chhattisgarh in first identifying its victims, and then seeking to build up concocted cases against them." The submission apprehends a campaign of "media vilification" against Ilina Sen.
Amnesty International, which saw the arrest as harassment of a human rights activist, declared his detention in breach of international law. It issued a call to the Government of Chhattisgarh to immediately release Sen, unless he could be charged with a cognisable offence.
On 7 June 2007, the British House of Commons published an Early day motion entitled "Arrest of Dr. Binayak Sen" supported by several members of parliament across party lines, including Diane Abbott (Labour), Peter Bottomley (Conservative), John Hemming (Liberal Democrat), Dai Davies (Independent, Wales), Mike Weir (Scottish NP), among others.
On 9 June 2007, the British Medical Journal published an article about Sen's arrest. It states that Ramesh Gopalakrishnan, of Amnesty International, offered the following comment to BMJ about the supposed charges: "These offences allow sweeping interpretations of criminal intent. Activists in India are arrested all the time on such charges, which give wide, arbitrary powers to police." The same BMJ article reports a protest, outside the Indian High Commission in London, whose organiser is quoted as saying, "Dr Sen is a champion of peace and fair play and an internationally respected medical doctor who has devoted his whole life to peaceful service of the poorest people. He should be released immediately."
Noam Chomsky and several other prominent figures issued a press statement dated 16 June 2007 alleging that "Dr Sen's arrest is clearly an attempt to intimidate PUCL and other democratic voices that have been speaking out against human rights violations in the state."
On 20 June 2007 a delegation from the PUCL met the Chief Minister (CM) of Chhattisgarh state, and objected to Sen being accused of supporting the Naxalites. The delegation insisted that Sen's visits to the jailed Naxalite Narayan Sanyal were for the latter's "medical treatment" and also regarding his legal case. They pointed out that these visits took place in the Raipur jail, following procedures laid down in the jail manual." The PUCL delegation also raised objections about the analysis of Sen's computer in the absence of Sen's advocate and the independent court-appointed witness which they said could have offered the chance to tamper with evidence. The court had ordered on 22 May 2007 that both these observers should be present during the examination of Sen's computer. Nobel laurate economist and thinker Amartya Sen also criticised the December 2010 verdict for Sen's imprisonment. He stated that instead of getting his due honour for his service, Sen had met with an unfortunate verdict.
Rejection of Bail
High Court
In July 2007, Sen's bail was rejected by the Chhattisgarh High Court after Police claimed that they had got incriminating evidences against Binayk Sen from his hard disc belonging to him.
Supreme Court
In August 2007, a bench of Justices Ashok Bhan and V. S. Sirpurkar at the Supreme Court of India sought a response from the Chhattisgarh government after senior counsel Soli Sorabjee claimed that Sen was illegally detained since 14 May on fabricated charges of supporting Naxalites. The report stated that the Director General of Police in Chhattisgarh had conceded Sen's peaceful approach however the DGP rejected the suggestion that Sen had been arrested for criticising crimes such as extra-judicial killings in staged "fake encounters". The DGP has stated his belief that "Dalits movements, women empowerment movements, human rights movements, environment protection movements" are all suspect because Naxalites want to penetrate and hijack "movements not linked with CPI."
In December 2007, Supreme Court dismissed Sen's bail petition. The bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhan and D K Jain refused to accept Sen's plea stating that he was only an activist of People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and was in no way connected with the banned outfit CPI(ML). Bench while rejecting his arguments observed: "You are emphasising too much on PUCL. This does not mean that you are immune. This also does not mean your are not associated with banned activities."'
Confinement
Sen was kept in solitary confinement during the period from 15 March to 11 April 2008. The prison authorities stated that this was for his security. Sen's wife Ilina stated that he has been isolated from the world during his year of imprisonment, with access to only pro-government newspaper.
On 29 April 2008, Human Rights Watch in New York issued a public statement regarding the trial of Sen due to begin in Raipur on 30 April 2008: "the district court's limit of one supporter of the defendant at the trial is unnecessarily restrictive and raises broader concerns about the fairness of the trial."
The Global Health Council, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and several other prominent global health organisations issued a joint statement of support for Sen, requesting that Indian authorities allow the doctor to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Health and Human Rights in person in Washington, D.C., on 29 May 2008, at the 35th Annual International Conference on Global Health. The declaration stated: "We would also like to convey our concern and dismay that Dr. Sen remains imprisoned, after nearly one year without trial, on allegations that he passed notes from a rebel leader whom he treated in jail to a person outside the prison. Dr. Sen has denied all wrongdoing and nothing in his character or history, as a dedicated community leader who has urged a peaceful settlement to this conflict for years, would support the accusations made against him. These allegations have not been substantiated or proven and have prevented Dr. Sen from providing his much-needed health services to the poor in his area, as well as his community leadership activities as an officer of the People's Union for Civil Liberties."
Twenty-two Nobel laureates from around the world wrote to India's President and Prime Minister and Chhattisgarh state authorities. They said Sen should be allowed to travel to the US to receive the Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights. "We also wish to express grave concern that Dr Sen appears to be incarcerated solely for peacefully exercising his fundamental human rights," the letter said. This is "in contravention of Articles 19 (freedom of opinion and expression) and 22 (freedom of association) of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – to which India is a state party – and that he is charged under two internal security laws that do not comport with international human rights standards," it added.
Doctors across India started holding free clinics for the poor in tribute to the example of Sen and to peacefully campaign for his release.
The Government of India led by the Indian National Congress which is the opposition party in the state of Chhattisgarh reacted strongly to international appeals for the release of Dr Binayak Sen. The Government feels that the issue around Dr Binayak Sen is a well orchestrated campaign and just because he is selected for a western award, does not make him less guilty in their view. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that the State Government is right in opposing Dr Sen's appeal.
Trial
On 3 August 2007, Chhattisgarh Police filed charge-sheets under the Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005 (CSPSA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 in the court of Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Satyabhama Dubey against Sen. The trial against Binayak Sen began in the trial court in Raipur on 30 May 2008. On 4 May 2008, Supreme Court issued notice to Chhattisgarh government on Sen's bail plea. It asked the state government to provide "best medical aid" to Sen, who is suffering from a heart ailment.
On 11 August 2008, a second bail petition was filed in the Chhattisgarh High Court in Bilaspur. On 21 October, Sen made a public appeal and proposal for peace in South Bastar.
Grant of bail by the Supreme Court
Sen was granted bail on 25 May 2009 by a vacation bench of the Supreme Court comprising Justice Markandey Katju and Justice Deepak Verma as his health conditions were deteriorating.
Conviction, sentencing and bail
On 24 December 2010, the Additional Sessions and District Court Judge B.P Varma Raipur found Binayak Sen, Naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha, guilty of sedition for helping the Maoists in their fight against the state. They were sentenced to life imprisonment. Immediately after the sentencing, Dr. Sen's bail was revoked and he was taken back into custody.
Binayak Sen was held guilty under Chhattisgarh Special Public Security Act 2005, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, of being a conduit between Naxals and of meeting Narayan Sanyal in jail. The trio has also been convicted under provisions of section 124A of Indian Penal Code (IPC) (sedition) and 120-B Indian Penal Code (conspiracy).
Binayak Sen's sentence has been condemned both in India and internationally. Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen has condemned the judgement as "unjust".
Against this judgement, Binayak again applied for bail on 6 January 2011. An eight-member delegation of the European Union were present at the court during the entire hearing. On 25 January 2011, the Chhattisgarh High Court heard his bail plea for the second consecutive day and then fixed 9 February for the next hearing. The court denied bail to him during the subsequent hearing.
Dr. Sen had moved the apex court challenging the order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which had rejected his bail plea on 10 February 2011. Dr. Sen has sought bail contending that the trial court has erred in convicting him as there was no substantial evidence against him. Human rights and social activists have described Dr. Sen's conviction and sentence as "politically motivated."
The Supreme Court on 11 March 2011 issued notice to the Chhattisgarh government on a petition by rights activist Binayak Sen seeking bail and stay on his life imprisonment imposed by a sessions court for his links with Maoists. A bench of Justices' H.S. Bedi and C.K. Prasad asked the Chhattisgarh government to file its response within four weeks. The bench passed the order despite counsel for Dr. Sen seeking adjournment of the matter. On 15 April 2011, the Supreme Court of India has granted bail to Dr. Binayak Sen, after questioning the sedition charge against him and adding that "the question of passing letters or documents does not arise." However the apex court said it was giving no reason for granting bail to 61-year-old Sen and left it to the satisfaction of the trial court concerned to impose the conditions for his release on bail.
Media reports said that no evidence of sedition had been produced against the accused by the Chhattisgarh Government. According to The Hindu, one of the two judges told the senior state counsel ""We are a democratic country. He may be a sympathiser. That does not make him guilty of sedition." Drawing an analogy, he asked Mr. Lalit: “if Mahatma Gandhi's autobiography is found in somebody's place, is he a Gandhian? No case of sedition is made out on the basis of materials in possession unless you show that he was actively helping or harbouring them .""
The case has generated interests of Indian and foreign NGOs and governments.
See also
Publications
- Minnie Vaid (2011) A Doctor to Defend: The Binayak Sen Story. Publisher: Rajpal PP: 243, ISBN 9788170289272
- Ilina Sen, Inside Chhattisgarh: A Political Memoir. Penguin Books India, 2014. ISBN 978-0-143-41404-9. (Ilina Sen is the spouse of Binayak Sen)
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External links
Gwangju Prize for Human Rights laureates | |
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- Living people
- 1950 births
- Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by India
- Brahmos
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- Indian paediatricians
- Indian human rights activists
- Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
- Gandhi International Peace Award recipients
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- People from Raipur, Chhattisgarh
- Medical doctors from Chhattisgarh
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