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| In 2002, he caused a controversy when he was awarded the ] for emergent leadership. At 37, he was also the youngest Indian to have received the award. During the acceptance speech he claimed that United States is the "biggest terrorist state" in the world and, when challenged by the Philippine media, he returned his prize money <ref>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/DI13Ae02.html 'Asia's Nobels' unfazed by controversy, By Dino Manrique </ref>. | In 2002, he caused a controversy when he was awarded the ] for emergent leadership. At 37, he was also the youngest Indian to have received the award. During the acceptance speech he claimed that United States is the "biggest terrorist state" in the world and, when challenged by the Philippine media, he returned his prize money <ref>http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/DI13Ae02.html 'Asia's Nobels' unfazed by controversy, By Dino Manrique </ref>. | ||
| Pandey lead an ] peace march from New Delhi to Multan in 2005. | Pandey lead an ] peace march from New Delhi to Multan in 2005. The budget for the peace march was Rs. 830,000 ( in addition to two Multi Utility Vehicles) which was raised from overseas and India supporters<ref>http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2005/03/sandeep-pandeys-ratha-yatra-wheres.html</ref> | ||
| He has served as an adviser to the Indian government's Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE). | He has served as an adviser to the Indian government's Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE). | ||
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Sandeep Pandey is a social activist from India,. He co-founded Asha for Education with Deepak Gupta and V.J.P Srivatsoy while working on his Ph. D in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduating in 1991, he returned to India to teach at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur. He founded a people's group named Asha Parivar that focuses on strengthening democracy at the grassroots.
His work at Asha Parivar is focused on Right to Information and other forms of citizen participation in removing corruption and improving the efficiency of governance. He leads National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM), the largest network of grassroot people's movements in India.. NAPM includes groups like "Fish Workers Forum" led by Fr. Tom Kochery, who organized protests against specific religious groups. NAPM includes representatives of organizations like Christian Institute for the Study of Religion and Society, Madurai, and attracts activists like Mercy Mathew (a nun working among the Gond tribe who uses the name Dayabai)
Pandey is an alumnus of the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University.
In 2002, he caused a controversy when he was awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award for emergent leadership. At 37, he was also the youngest Indian to have received the award. During the acceptance speech he claimed that United States is the "biggest terrorist state" in the world and, when challenged by the Philippine media, he returned his prize money .
Pandey lead an Indo-Pakistan peace march from New Delhi to Multan in 2005. The budget for the peace march was Rs. 830,000 ( in addition to two Multi Utility Vehicles) which was raised from overseas and India supporters
He has served as an adviser to the Indian government's Central Advisory Board for Education (CABE).
Controversies
Sandeep Pandey has made a number of claims suggesting that the governments of terror-hit states are oppressing people.
- He claims that Abu Basher from Azamgarh and Shahbaz Hussain from Lucknow have been “framed” by police and Intelligence agencies regarding serial bombings claimed by Indian Mujahideen.
- He opposes armed forces of India resisting armed insurgancies in North East India.
- He opposes the efforts of the India government forces in Kashmir .
- He believes that the Muslim bombing suspects in India, such as Indian Mujahideen are unlikely to have been involved in such crimes because of their young age.
He and his National Alliance of People's Movements has targetted and opposed industrial develpment projects, specially in backwards regions. They have opposed
- Coca-Cola plant at Plachimada, Kerala. Fr. Alex Philip from his group was arrested in a related protest.
- Vedanta Resources which wants to develop mining and refining aluminum in Orissa, one of the poorest states in India.
- He opposes globalization of Indian economy. His group regards globalization to be a "mutant variety of colonialism"
He supports de-militarization of the Indo-Pak borders. He claimed in 2004 that Nepal is fully secure even though it does not have an army (that was before the capitulation of the royal government of Nepal, largely as a result of the Maoist insurgancy).
Pandey is said to have been close to the Maoists/Naxalites. He was one of the invitees of the Maoist CPI-ML group for a meeting held to honor the kin of about a thousand Naxalites killed in encounters with the police. He has worked to free Dr. Binayak Sen who is in prison in the Raipur Jail for "sedition and conspiracy to wage war against the state".
He is opposed to BJP, a major political party in India. He calls BJP "anti-national than any political regime or any political outfit".
External links
- Asha Parivar — Sandeep Pandey's current focus : http://www.ashaparivar.org/
- Citizen News Service - collection of published writings of Sandeep Pandey
- National Alliance for People's Movement: http://www.worldbanktribunal.org/national-alliance-of-peoples-movement.html
- "Kashmir is for Kashmiris only" - Interview with Sandeep Pandey, Milli Gazettee, 16-31 Jan 2004.
See also
References
- http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2002/254/ Need your support for Fr. Pallth's struggle
- http://72.14.205.104/search?q=cache:YAkeGVYAbSUJ:www.ces.uc.pt/emancipa/cv/gen/dietrich.html+Christian+Institute+for+the+Study+of+Religion+and+Society+National+Alliance+of+People%27s+Movements&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us Gabriele Dietrich
- http://infochangeindia.org/200402276546/Other/Changemaker/Dayabai-lady-of-fire.html Dayabai, lady of fire
- http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/DI13Ae02.html 'Asia's Nobels' unfazed by controversy, By Dino Manrique
- http://rajeev2004.blogspot.com/2005/03/sandeep-pandeys-ratha-yatra-wheres.html
- http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=249817&usrsess=1 Harrassment: UP Police slams charge
- http://www.assamtimes.org/hot-news/481.html Assam, J&K top human rights violation in country: Dr Sandeep Pandey
- http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31Jan04-Print-Edition/1631200434.htm Kashmir is for Kashmiris only, Interview with Sandeep Pandey, Milli Gazettee, 16-31 Jan 2004
- http://www.countercurrents.org/pandey090908.htm An Encounter With The Terror Police, By Sandeep Pandey, 09 September, 2008
- http://www.indiaresource.org/news/2005/1052.html National Alliance of People's Movements To Launch Indefinite Dharna Against Coca-Cola
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_21_42/ai_n26694771 Globalization is a 'mutant variety of colonialism,' activists say National Catholic Reporter, March 24, 2006 by Paul Jeffrey
- http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-08/2007-08-08-voa46.cfm?CFID=42014466&CFTOKEN=17210845 Tribal People in India Want to Protect Indigenous Way of Life
- http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_21_42/ai_n26694771 http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_21_42/ai_n26694771
- http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31Jan04-Print-Edition/1631200434.htm ‘‘Kashmir is for Kashmiris only’
- http://naxalwatch.blogspot.com/2005/10/sandeep-pandey-naxal-terrorist.html Alleged Naxal Links
- http://www.rediff.com/news/2002/nov/15naxal.htm CPI-ML faction to honour kin of 1000 Naxalites
- http://www.milligazette.com/Archives/2004/16-31Jan04-Print-Edition/1631200434.htm ‘‘Kashmir is for Kashmiris only’