Dr Binayak Sen, this name may not seem familiar to you, and to those who think he has something to do with Amartya
Sen, you probably don’t know much about Amartya Sen. He is a man behind the tribal uplift movement in Chattisgarh since 1981, when he started a small clinic at Dalli Ralhara. His pro-people movement made him a leading figure among the tribals.
Sen’s 30 yrs service in the field of health-care was rewarded by his alma-mater in 2004, when he won the prestigious Paul Harrison Award. The Indian Academy of Social Science gave him RR Keithan gold medal. The citation lauded his untiring efforts. He is also nominated for this year’s Jonathan Mann award.
Now hold back to your seat belts as the second face of the coin is about to be revealed. He was arrested in Bilaspur while coming back to Kolkata. The police allege that Sen was in touch with Naxal commanders, including CPI politburo member Narayan Sanyal who has been in Raipur jail.
He is charged with five sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967, three sections of Chattisgarh special Police Security Act 2005. If proved guilty he would get 89 yrs in jail and 2 life terms.
Following his arrest and slow trial, many intellectuals like Amartya Sen, Arundhati Roy, Shyam Benegal and many more have signed an appeal for his release. Amnesty International and other leading human rights organizations too are fully supporting him.
He does deserve a fair trial, at the least in a democracy like India.