Finally they free Dr. Sen

Dr. Binayak Sen has been granted bail, after long two years. That's a major victory for the humanrights movement in India. But the (false and fabricated) case id still on. The case is an "index" case. It clearly shows up how draconian laws are can be and are actually misused. And how stupendously difficult it would be for a lesser being! And even Dr. Binayak Sen, with 22 Nobel laureates appealing, national and international medical community protesting, foreign governments making queries, retired Supreme Court judge appealing, it took two long years just to obtain a simple bail, which as per the Supreme Court directive should be norm, not an exception. This again shows up the the huge irrational arbitrary powers that the "state" is invested with to crush an ordinary citizen, and a dissenting voice, in particular. This small but significant victory must reenergise the human rights movement in India. We must mobilise ourselves to firmly demand that the Central government must immediately initiate action to create a legal framework to subscribe to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) in toto.

Tomorrow it would be you and me...

Am I safe in India?

Dr. Binayak Sen's incarceration is has trigged out a lot of public outcry. A doctor who works for the cause of tribals and poor people has been pushed down and locked up. His charge is that he works for the cause of the poor, his charge is that he and his wife dared to work with people whom the State thought they could just overlook, his charge was that he raised his voice against the injustice happening in Chatisgarh, against Salwa Jugum [Salwa Judum (translates as "Peace March") is a anti- Naxalite movement in Chhatisgarh, India, which started in 2005 as a "civilian movement amongst the tribals of the region", and later evolved into a militia as a counter-insurgency strategy in the ,to bring the area dominated by Naxalites (Indian Maoists rebels), back under government control.]

The police arrested him with the charge that he passes letter to naxalites but they have not been able to prove a single charge against him. He has been denied bail all the time. I am waiting what the Supreme Court now gives him.

This doctor is arrested and kept in prison, tomorrow it will be you and me. Tomorrow you and me can be arrested for being human rights activits. Tomorrow I can be arrested by charging me. I work with prisoners and this can activism of mine could be altogether made to stop by simply incarcerating me using a draconian law.

I kept telling my collegue Sana yesterday, "Atleast people know Dr.Binayak Sen.. Who would know Ms. Reena Mary George if she is arrested someday?" We need to voice out our opposition towards the arrest of Dr. Sen because today it is him -- a human rights activits, tomorrow it would be you and me....

Binayak Sen

India is the largest democracy! But the question is ... Is it really democracy or dictatorship??How can a doctor (Dr.Binayak Sen) who works with the tribals and common people's causes be incarcerated for two long years without anything proved against him. The police claims that he passed on letters to naxals!!

I am sure, if this is the way India is 'progressing', then people like me will end up in prisons as well. Atleast Binayak Sen is a largely known public figure... Who would know any Reena Mary George... who works for the rights of prisoners??? Some day they might just not want me to work for the cause of prisoners and charge me with some absolutely nonsense case and incarcerate me as well... Are we, human rights activits really safe in a country like India where the State players do not want any development in this country, where the State players want to put down human rights activists like Binayak Sen behind bars, where the the State players do not want to uphold human dignity? Am i safe in this country?

It is time... that we fight back and not be silent... One of the poems I heard yesterday at Dhuru Hall, Dadar (A programme organised by the 'Release Binayak Sen Committee') it said... Keeping quite is the biggest mistake we all do... When things go wrong and nothing moves within us..then that is the biggest mistake... lovely poems read by contemporary, progressive readers...

I would lose hope in the Criminal Justice System of India if Binayak Sen is not given bail this time by Supreme Court of India.