10 February,2011 07:39 AM IST | | Astha Saxena
Says his only mistake was that he stood for the rights of the poor
The arrest of doctor-activist Binayak Sen has sparked international outrage. But the medical fraternity in the national capital had so far remained silent.
Messiah of the poor: Dr Binayak Sen's fact finding team highlighted the
excesses and dangers posed by the Salwa Judum. File pic
Now, doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) seem to have woken up to the cause of the selfless doctor who fought for the rights of the poor. Sen, a public health expert, was found guilty of helping Naxalites in Chhattisgarh and was sentenced to life.
Professors and other medical staff working at AIIMS are opposing the court's decision on Sen. A meeting was held in the institute's premises where the AIIMS fraternity protested against the handing down of life imprisonment to Sen, resolving unanimously to express their condemnation of the judgement passed by the trial court "by putting aside all principles of criminal justice". Apart from the doctors and the professors, Justice Rajinder Sacher and advocate Prashant Bhushan were present in the meeting. Those present at the meeting felt that Sen's only mistake was that he stood for the rights of the poor.
"Dr Sen was framed as he was trying to bring the excesses committed by Salwa Judum, a vigilant army, on the poor tribal of Chhattisgarh before the people. He was also exposing the exploitative policies of the government and defending the civil liberties of the people," said Justice Sachar.
"By framing Dr Sen, the government wants to send a strong message that those who are defending the rights of the tribals and the marginalised will be dealt with an iron hand. This shows no human right activists are safe in this country," said Prashant Bhushan.
Members of the Progressive Medicos and Scientist Forum (PMSF), a body of AIIMS doctors who take up civil issues, came out strongly against the verdict. "We express our disapproval of the pre-conditions imposed by certain sections of society that it is only the human rights of those who conform to the Gandhian principles of struggle, which can rightly be upheld. We also reach out to the countless masses of Chhattisgarh and lsewhere in the country who are being similarly punished for putting up a brave fight against the exploitative policies of the state," said a member.
A million mutinies now:
A broad coalition of 55 civil society groups from the US, Britain and Canada came together on January 28, 2011 in Washington to demand the immediate release of Binayak Sen. In a statement, the coalition demanded the repeal of alleged "draconian laws" giving arbitrary power to the State that infringe on the fundamental rights of free speech, and the disbanding of state-backed vigilante groups in Chhattisgarh.
The US-wing of the 'Free Binayak Sen Coalition' announced to hold a series of meetings in American cities. The coalition consists of civil rights groups such as the Asian Law Alliance, health rights groups such as the People's Health Movement, anti-war groups such as the ANSWER Coalition and the Boston Mobilisation, student groups from Harvard and Berkeley, women's rights groups such as the Women's International League for Peace & Freedom, local peace and justice groups from a number of cities. A large number of South Asian immigrant groups based in the San Francisco Bay area and across the US, Britain and Canada are also part of the coalition.
