Report of Kolkotta Convention for the release of Dr. Binayak Sen

Nearly 150 persons attended the May 14 convention held at Medical College Common Room form 5 pm. Dr. Shyamal Baran Roy, ex-Director, Central Institute of Blood Transfusion and Hematology, chaired the convention.

Dr. Jayanta Das, on behalf of Medical Collge Democratic Students’ Association and Shramajibi Swasthya Udyog, presented a draft resolution. Noted human rights activist Sujata Bhadra was the first speaker supporting the resolution. Binayakda’s mother Mrs. Anusuya Sen was the next speaker. Pradip Banerjee of Bandi Mukti Committee, Dr. Tapas Bhattacharya of Health Services Association, renowned paeditric surgeon Dr. P. K. Sarkar, Dr. Subhas Dasgupta of Medical Service Centre, Ashis Lahiri of Bengali Monthly Review, Amitadyuti Kumar of APDR, noted journalist Bolan Gangopadhyay, Basudeb Banerjee of Commercial Taxes Executive Officers’ Association, Pranab Dey of Land & Land Reforms Officers’ Association, Sandip Dasgupta of Joint Council of Trade Unions were among other speakers.

The resolution was adopted unanimously. The convention ended with the resolve to give the Free Binayak Sen Campaign the shape of a mass movemnet.

THE RESOLUTION ADOPTED AT THE CONVENTION

HELD ON MAY 14, 2008 AT MEDICAL COLLEGE COMMON ROOM

DEMANDING RELEASE OF DR. BINAYAK SEN

We, the doctors, people’s health activists and human rights activists of West Bengal, today in this convention strongly protest against the unjust arrest and detention without trial of Dr. Binayak Sen. We deplore Dr. Binayak Sen’s detention under the black laws, Chhattisgarh Vishesh Jana Suraksha Adhiniyam and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, since May 14, 2007.

Dr. Binayak Sen is a renowned paeditrician, noted people’s health activist and an important organizer of human rights movement. He is a founder-member of Medico Friends Circle, an all-India network of socially conscious doctors. His health-work among the tribals of the Raipur district is commendable. He is the national vice-president and the Chhattisgarh state secretary of People’s Union for Civil Liberties. Christian Medical College, Vellore awarded him with the prestigious Paul Harrison Award for his work for the suffering humanity. The Chhattisgarh State Government appointed him as a public health adviser.

We believe that he is languishing in jail because he used to expose the relation of ill-health with poverty, because he opposed the state’s ploy to dislocate the tribals from their villages and to incite civil war among them in the name of ‘fighting Maoists’, with the intention of presenting the rich natural resources of Chhattisgarh to the national and international capitalists. Recently a committee appointed by the Government of India also recommended to disband ‘Salwa Judum’.

Dr. Binayak Sen has been detained under such black laws, where not even the courts grant bail to him. Dr. Binayak Sen’s arrest is a black mark on Indian democracy.

We, the people present in today’s convention, unanimously demand—

1. Immediate release of Dr. Binayak Sen.
2. Immediate release of all prisoners detained without trial.

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