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Binayak Sen - A mother’s appeal

By Anasuya Sen

I am a woman in my eighties. When we were young, people were inspired by the examples of karmayogis who were patriotic, motivated by ideals of service, wise and virtuous. We considered ourselves blessed if we could follow in their footsteps.

I had so far been a silent spectator to the injustice and violence that pervades our free democracy today, but only because I was personally untouched by it. But now, as an aged mother, and outraged by the blows of injustice, I wish to break my silence. Inconsolable in my pain at the age of eighty-one years, I now wish to make a humble appeal to the people of free, democratic India.

As perhaps many of you are aware, my son Dr. Binayak Sen is today held in jail, a victim of extreme injustice. At the age of four years, he was troubled by questions of injustice: why didn’t the boy who helped us at home not eat with us? Why did he have to eat alone on the kitchen floor? Why couldn’t he join him at meal times?

When he graduated with his first medical degree with distinction at the age of twenty two from the Christian Medical College in Vellore, he refused to heed his father’s wish for him to go to England to study for the MRCP. Whatever knowledge he needed to practice medicine in his own country, he insisted, he could acquire right here. He was subsequently awarded the M.D. in paediatrics from Vellore, and then joined JNU as an assistant professor with a wish to study for a PhD in Public Health. But he could brook no further delay. He left his academic position to take up a position at the TB Research Centre and hospital run by the Friends’ Rural Centre at Hoshangabad (MP). After a couple of years there, he found an opportunity to work among the miners in Chhattisgarh. There he joined the late independent trade unionist Shankar Guha Neogi and devoted himself selflessly to serving the daily wage labourers of the Bhilai factories and the mineworkers and their families at the mines of Dalli Rajhara and Nandini, aiding and organizing the poor and the oppressed untiringly in their daily struggles to rid themselves of their many social ills. It was here, while working with Shankar Guha Neogi’s Chhattisgarh Mines Shramik Sangh, that Dr. Sen set up a health centre run for and by the workers of the area. Within a few years this grew to a 25 bed hospital. Dr. Sen then left this hospital in the care of the workers and a few other doctors who had been inspired by his example to work there, and joined his wife Dr. Ilina Sen in Raipur in starting a NGO called Rupantar. This organization worked in the areas of community health, ecologically sustainable agriculture, helping women become independent, and formal and informal education for children and adults. Work proceeded apace in all areas successfully. When a rice research centre had opened at Bhatagaon, a scientist cited Dr. Sen in one of his works as “Dr. Binayak Sen, a farmer”. Dr. Sen also opened community health centres in the villages of Dhamtari and Bastar districts, devoted to treating patients and training health workers for administering primary health care and raising awareness of their own communities in matters of health. Primary and adult education centres were opened at various villages.

Dr. Sen’s example inspired several other doctors from famous medical institutions like AIIMS to give up lucrative careers and comfortable lifestyles to open similar health centres in Bilaspur. These centres are now running very successfully.

While working with Rupantar at Raipur, Dr. Sen joined the People’s Union of Civil Liberties as an all-India Vice President and Secretary for the state of Chhattisgarh. In the course of his medical work among the poor and the oppressed, which was already occupying all his time, he became aware of the abuses of the state towards the poor adivasis of Bastar district, and protested against the state sponsored Salwa Judum movement that pitted adivasis against one other. The state did not take kindly towards his protestations on behalf of the poor.

When the brother of an aged and ailing prisoner of Raipur Central Jail asked Dr. Sen to visit and treat his brother in prison, Dr. Sen did so with the permission of the jail authorities. The fact that the prisoner was a Naxalite gave the state an opportunity to arrest and imprison Dr. Sen on May 14, 2007 under the state’s Public Security laws. The patriot who had devoted his entire professional life to the untiring service of the poor – a record acknowledged by the Paul Harrison Award bestowed on him by his alma mater – that very person was now in jail charged with being a terrorist waging war against the state.

When the Chhattisgarh High Court denied Dr. Sen his appeal for bail, his wife Dr. Ilina Sen appealed to the Supreme Court. The date for the hearing of the bail petition was fixed for Monday, December 10 2007.

A Bench consisting of a senior and a junior judge was appointed to hear the appeal for bail. The initial junior judge was subsequently replaced by another. On December 8, the Chhattisgarh government invited the senior member of this Bench to Raipur as the chief guest at the inaugural ceremony of a Legal Aid Centre, and extended its hospitality to him till December 9 when the senior judge returned to New Delhi. The very next day, the Bench dismissed Dr. Binayak Sen’s appeal for bail in just thirty-five minutes.

Here, without casting any doubts or aspersions on anyone’s integrity, I humbly wish to pose my question to all the people and revered leaders of free, democratic India: SHOULD I REGARD AS JUSTICE the refusal of bail to one who even as a child was moved by injustice, who having devoted his entire working life selflessly to providing food and health to the poor, who without coveting wealth survived for days on dal, rice and green chillies, who is accustomed to living like the poor, who dedicated his life to serving the people of his country, and who is now arraigned for breach of public security and waging war against the state?

If this is justice, where I should I seek redress against injustice? Should I remain a victim of injustice even at this age?

Does this son of mine – a selfless, wise, virtuous, humble, peace-loving karmayogi, motivated entirely by the ideals of service, and living among the poor - have to spend his days in prison?

My simple question to all compassionate readers of this appeal is: How much longer to that day when Dr. Binayak Sen will receive justice?

I ask this question not just for myself and for my son, but also on behalf of all mothers suffering from the injustice meted out to their children. Is justice so elusive in our free, democratic country?

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On December 10, 2007, the Supreme Court rejected Dr. Sen’s bail appeal. Please visit freebinayaksen.org and savebinayak.ukaid.org for information and activist resources on Binayak Sen

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International Day of Protest for Dr. Binayak Sen: May 13/14, 2008.

You can attend a local event in your city for the one year anniversary of the unjust detension of Dr. Binayak Sen.

Baltimore/JHU: Talk on Dr. Binayak Sen followed by signature campaign. May 13th, 2008 (1:30 to 2:30 pm) School of Public Health [Contact Email : Manjunath - mshankar at jhsph.edu or 952-201-8679]

Boston: Vigil @ Harvard Square on May 13, 2008 (7pm) [Contact Email: freebsen at gmail.com]

Dallas: Talk/discussion /film clips on Binayak Sen’s work followed by signing of petition on May 17, 2008 (11am) at UT Dallas Student Union. [Contact Email: Nitin Paradkar at nitinparadkar at gmail.com]

Houston: Documentary on Dr. Sen’s work followed by signing of petition on May 31, 2008. [Contact Email: Ashish Waghray - ashish_waghray at yahoo.com]

London: Vigil in front of Indian High Commission on May 13, 2008 from 1-3pm. [Contact Email: sasg at southasiasolidarity.org]

New York: Protest in front of Indian Consulate on May 13, 2008 (12:30pm). [Contact Emails: Ashwini: akr7 at columbia.edu or Murli: mnatrajan at yahoo.com]

Paris: Meet with the Indian Consulate staff to voice concerns and deliver petitions on May 13, 2008. [Contact Email: Sapna - sapnamg at gmail.com]

Philadelphia: Candle light vigil @ 40th and Locust street field on May 13, 2008 (7:30). [Contact Email: AID.Philadelphia at gmail.com]

Pittsburgh: Candlelight Vigil @ Church of the Redeemer, 5700 Forbes Avenue on May 13, 2008 (7:30pm) [Contact Email: maryganguli at yahoo.com or sparun at gmail.com]

San Francisco: Supporters of Dr. Binayak Sen will protest in front of the Consulate General of India, 540, Arguello Blvd. San Francisco, CA 94118 at 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 13th, 2008. [Contact Email: mail at friendsofsouthasia. org]

Stockholm: Meet with the Indian Consulate staff to voice concerns and deliver petitions on May 13, 2008. [Contact Email: Pradyumna - pradyumna.singh at gmail.com]

Vancouver: Protest action at the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on May 14th, 2008. [Contact Email: Hari Sharma of SANSAD - sansad at sansad.org]

Washington DC: Protest in front of Indian Embassy, 2107 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20008 on May 13, 2008 (4pm). [Contact: Somu @ 703-728-8987 or Somu at aidindia.org]

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Free Binayak Sen Film Festival

14 May 2008 will mark one year of imprisonment for Dr Binayak Sen, the well-known public health and civil rights activist, arrested on false charges of ‘assisting’ the Maoist insurgency in Chattisgarh.

In a nation where increasingly the medical profession is becoming synonymous with unbridled commercial greed Dr Sen dedicated his entire professional life to the free service of people in the remotest villages.

In a country, which has health indicators worse than that of sub-Saharan Africa, Dr Sen passionately worked for setting up low cost models of healthcare accessible to the poor.

And in a land where the problems of public health are deeply intertwined with the gross violations of the Indian Constitution by state agencies themselves Dr Sen fought for ensuring democratic rights of ordinary people.

Dr Sen’s detention as a ‘threat to national security’ stands therefore as a challenge to every Indian who aspires for a humane, democratic and civilized India.

To mark the first anniversary of the arrest of Dr Sen, on 14 May 2008 and to call for his immediate release the Free Binayak Sen Film Festival is being organised by concerned citizens and groups around the country. The package of 10 documentaries, presented in this Festival, highlight the issues of human rights and public health and deal with themes ranging from nutrition, greed of drug companies, environmental pollution and state atrocities.

They are meant to make all those who watch them wake up and more importantly resist the Silent Emergency that is creeping upon us in front of our very eyes.

Given along with this letter is a list of the 10 films along with a brief synopsis. All groups interested in receiving the package of films for organizing the Free Binayak Sen Film Festival in their areas of work are requested to send the name of their organization, postal address and tentative date of screening to - Wilfred D’Souza, INSAF, New Delhi, insaf@vsnl.com, Ph: 09825171919. The package is meant to be screened mostly in the month of May, particularly around 14 May, the first anniversary of Dr Sen’s arrest.

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Films

1. In the Name of Medicine

K.P.Sasi

On the hazardous and banned pharmaceutical drugs in India.

2. Antibiotic Resistance for Idiots

Satya Sivaraman

A look at antibiotics from the microbe’s point of view and calling for an ecological approach to medicine.

3. It’s a Boy, its going to be a boy

Vani Subramaniam

On sex determination tests and female foeticide

4. Sicko

Michael Moore

Investigates the American health care system, focusing on its for-profit health insurance and pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the private-sector U.S. system with the socialized systems of Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Cuba.

5. Secrets and Lies

Stavros Stagos

This Greek documentary explores how the Bhopal chemical disaster of 1984, which claimed as many as 20,000 lives, continues to affect people today. Points an accusing finger mostly at Union Carbide, the multinational pesticide manufacturer that owned the Bhopal plant. The company is currently part of Dow Chemical (makers of Agent Orange) which now denies all legal responsibility for the disaster.

6. The Bitter Drink

P. Baburaj & C. Saratchandran

Chronicles the struggle of the most marginalised section of the Indian society, the tribal community, against the mighty global giant Coca Cola. It also discusses the issue of the ownership of natural resources, mainly water.

7. Development Flows fromthe Barrel of the Gun

Biju Toppo & Meghnath

Documenting the state violence on people affected by development projects in the country, the film explores the relationship between this violence and the new economic policy and globalisation. It puts forward the people’s viewpoint on development, which is diametrically opposed to that of the state.

8. Tales from the Margins

Kavita Joshi

‘Tales from the Margins’ travels to this remote, strife-torn corner of India to document the extraordinary protests of Manipuri women for justice. And through their lives, to focus on a vast human tragedy.

9. Death of a River

R.R.Srinivasan

A documentary about the Manjolai massacre, which took place when Tamil Nadu police attacked a procession of striking tea estate workers, their families and supporters on July 23, 1999. Seventeen people, including two women and a two-year-old boy, were killed and 500 injured in the police attack.

10. Resilient Rhythms

Gopal Menon

India’s caste system places nearly 160 million people, the dalits, at the outskirts of society. It exploits their services, especially to perform ”polluting” tasks, such as cutting the umbilical cord, disposing of night-soil, tending cremation grounds, but at the same time denies them acceptance as human beings. Resilient Rhythms deals with a range of dalit responses to their marginalization, from armed struggle to electoral politics.

For further information contact:

K.P.Sasi, Bangalore
kpsasi36@gmail.com
Ph: 09945282056

Sarat Chandran, Eranakulam
sarat@thirdeyefilms.com
Ph: 09446426433

V.Srinivasan, Chennai
srini59@gmail.com
Ph: 09840081114