Dear Friends ,

Forwarding the text of the online petition for the release of Dr. Binayak
Sen who has been arrested by the Chattishgarh government .The signature
petition is hosted at http://www.PetitionOnline.com/Binayak/.

Do sign.

bye
Sudipto


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Subject: Safety and liberty of Dr. Binayak Sen, General Secretary of the
Chhattisgarh PUCL and Vice-President of the National PUCL who has been
imprisoned.


Respected Sirs,

This letter is to request your good offices on behalf of a very respected
and beloved old student of Christian Medical College, Vellore who has been
imprisoned this afternoon (May 14, 2007) at Bilaspur for activities in
defense of the rights and liberties of tribal people in Chhattisgarh.

His name is Binayak Sen. He had a distinguished academic career in
Vellore, graduating in Medicine and later acquiring an M.D. in
Paediatrics. From 1976 to 1978, he was a faculty member at the Centre for
Social Medicine and Community Health at the Jawaharlal Nehru University,
New Delhi. He left his academic appointment to work in a community based
rural health centre in Hoshangabad district of M.P. focusing on problems
of tuberculosis. During the late seventies, he became an active member of
the Medico Friend Circle, a national organization of health professionals
working towards an alternative health system responsive to the needs of
the poor. This involvement continues till today.
Binayak worked with mine workers in Dalli Rajahara towards addressing
their health needs, helping them set up and manage their own Shaheed
Hospital. When this hospital no longer required his leadership, Binayak
moved to a mission hospital in Tilda where he worked in Paediatrics and
Community Health. After the death of Shankar Guha Niyogi with whom he was
closely associated, Binayak moved to Raipur. From 1991, he has worked in
developing relevant models of primary health care in Chhattisgarh. He was
a member of the state advisory committee to initiate the community based
health worker programme across Chhattisgarh, now well known as the Mitanin
programme. He also gives his services to a weekly clinic in a tribal
community in Dhamtari district. He continues to provide health care to the
children of the marginalised, especially the migrant labourers. In
recognition of his work, the Christian Medical College, Vellore conferred
on him the Paul Harrison Award in 2004, which is the highest award given
to an alumnus for distinguished service in rural areas. He continues to be
an inspiration to successive generations of students and faculty.



Binayak has been active and effective in defending the liberties of the
disadvantaged, especially through the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties
(PUCL). He has served as the General Secretary of the State PUCL Committee
for the past five years and as Vice President of the National Committee
for the last three years. As General Secretary of the Chhattisgarh PUCL,
he helped organize fact finding campaigns into human rights violations in
the state including custody deaths, fake encounters, hunger deaths,
dysentery epidemics and malnutrition. In recent times he has worked
intensively to bring large scale oppression and malgovernance within the
so called Salwa Judoom in Dantewara to national and international
attention.

One of the individuals being defended by the PUCL in Chattisgarh is Mr.
Piyush Guha, presently in police custody. This in turn has led to threats
and allegations against Binayak. He is being accused of absconding and of
channeling illicit communications. We are anxious for the safety and well
being of this beloved and respected student of ours.

We request you to employ your good offices to ensure that Dr. Binayak Sen
is not subjected to mistreatment, continued unlawful imprisonment or
worse. The instruments of the government failed to save the life of his
mentor Niyogi. It will be a grievous failure if they do not now ensure the
safety and dignity of Binayak Sen.

Respectfully submitted by,


Sincerely,



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Ring the bell that still can ring.Forget your perfect offering.
There is a crack in everything.Thats how the light gets in.
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Sudipto Muhuri
Research Fellow
Theory Physics Division
Raman Research Institute
C.V.Raman Avenue
Sadashivanagar off: 080-23610122(Ext 381)
Bangalore-560080 res: 080-23316690(Ext 25)

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