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Revision as of 11:03, 20 May 2007 by Jga007 (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Dr. Binayak Sen is a paediatrician, public health specialist and human rights leader in Chhattisgarh state, India. Dr Sen is noted for extending health care to the poorest people as well as monitoring the health and nutrition status of the people of Chhattisgarh.
He helped to set up the Chhattisgarh Mukti Morcha's Shaheed Hospital - a pioneering health programme and hospital owned and operated by a workers' organization for the benefit of all. He 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. He was also a member of the state advisory committee set up to pilot the community based health worker programme across Chhattisgarh, later well-known as the Mitanin programme. He also gives his services to a weekly clinic in a tribal community, and has written papers on public health topics.
Dr. 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 prestigious Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, to one of its alumni. Dr. Sen is national Vice-President of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) and General Secretary of its Chhattisgarh unit. In this capacity, he has helped to organize numerous fact finding missions into human rights violations such as extra-judicial killings, and even visited prisoners likely to be at risk of torture. In recent times he has drawn attention to the severe adverse impact of the local government-backed "Salwa Judoom" anti-Maoist movement on ordinary citizens in Dantewara district of Chhattisgarh. This has made him and the PUCL unpopular with some of the Chhattisgarh authorities.
On 14th May 2007, Dr. Sen was arrested in Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, after being accused of absconding for a week, and of visiting prisoners belonging to extremist groups. Dr. Sen 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. In a TV interview given whilst under judicial custody, Dr Sen said that all his visits to prisoners were undertaken openly, in the course of his human rights work, and under close supervision by jail authorities. He strongly refuted suggestions that he was linked to prisoners or their activities in any other way.
Worldwide protests against his arrest have been led by prominent personalities such as Magsaysay Prize winner Aruna Roy, Booker Prize winner Arundathi Roy, retired judge Rajinder Sachar of the Delhi High Court, many eminent medical professors and scientists in India, the USA, the United Kingdom, Australia and beyond.
On 18th May 2007, Dr. Sen was brought to court with a police request that he be handed over from judicial custody into police custody. This police request was rejected by the court. Dr. Sen himself addressed the court, and requested that he be provided with a copy of the First Information Report, Complaint and the Grounds on which he was being detained. None of these had yet been provided to him since his arrest. Dr. Sen was retained in judicial custody until 22nd May 2007, and a police search of his house was scheduled for 19th May.
A PUCL delegation met the central government Home Minister, Shri Shivraj Patil, to register their concerns about the apparently false allegations against Dr. Binayak Sen. The Union Home Minister was reported to have promised an inquiry into the facts. Subsequently, newspaper reports dated 19th May 2007 say that the Central Intelligence Bureau are requiring the Chhattisgarh Intelligence Bureau to provide information explaining why Dr. Sen was arrested.
Independent observers present during the search of Dr. Binayak Sen's house on 19th May 2007 have stated that the police took away a few papers, together with a computer. Newspaper reports dated 20th May 2007 quote the Raipur (Chhattisgarh) Superintendent of Police S.S. Rajput as saying "Hundreds of seized documents are being examined by our experts. We will be able to give details regarding these only after the examination is complete."
However, the Times of India carries the headline "Naxal papers found at official's house". This headline appears to be contradicted by the independent observers present during the search of Dr. Sen's house, and the Superintendent of Police's statement that documents were still being examined and no details could be supplied yet.