Join and Support the Raipur Satyagraha !

Fight for the Release of Dr Binayak Sen!

Friends,

The Raipur Satyagraha for the Release of Dr. Binayak Sen was successfully launched on 16th March, despite the atmosphere of terror in Chhattisgarh due to state repression of human rights and civil society activists

Marching through Raipur town, the first batch of 42 satyagrahis courted arrest for violating Section 144 restrictions around the high security Raipur Jail where the well-known humanitarian doctor is incarcerated. The satyagrahis are demanding the unconditional release of Dr Sen and opposing the denial of bail as a punitive measure by the authorities.

After considerable parleys with the administration, which probably realised that this effort of a determined though peaceful satyagraha, would also be a sustained one, and represented more than 100 organisations from all over the country and Chhattisgarh, it adopted a mature posture. The first batch of satyagrahis of 42 personswere from 7 states and included veteran trade unionist and Vice President of the New Trade Union Initiative D. Thankappan, noted film maker Anand Patwardhan, General Secretary of the New Trade Union Initiative Ashim Roy, and Sandeep Pandey of Asha Parivar. They were arrested at the Subhash Stadium and released the same day.

The Satyagraha will continue every Monday at the jail in Raipur where Dr Binayak Sen is incarcerated. We need you to show your support NOW!  Here is what you can do:

1. Mobilise and come to Raipur in large numbers every Monday to support Dr. Binayak Sen; Please contact the satyagraha volunteers with dates of your participation and any other support that you’d like to extend to the Satyagraha.

2. Organise similar satyagrahas, protests, meetings in support of the Raipur satyagraha wherever you are based. Events were successfully held last week in Delhi and Kolkata. US groups are organising on 27th March.

3. Provide financial support to those who want to take part in the satyagraha but do not have the funds to travel to Raipur;

4. Collect funds to support the weekly satyagrahas in Raipur, which cost anywhere from Rs 5000-8000 per week. Funds are needed to provide basic accommodations and meals for the satyagrahis, press releases and press conferences, etc. If you’d like to support the Satyagraha with a financial contribution, please drop us a line and send cheques made out in the name of INSAF (payable at Delhi). For further info on this do get in touch directly with Wilfred D’Costa (General Secretary, Insaf) at: INSAF national secretariat
   124-A/6, First Floor, Katwaria Sarai, New Delhi-110016
   Ph: +91-11-65663958, Telefax:+91-11-26517814, Mobile: 0982517191
   E-mail: insaf@vsnl.com, insafdelhi@gmail.com

5. Since national leaders of the BJP and the Congress are touring our states for election campaign it is possible for groups to add this question while engaging with these leaders. We need to question both the Congress and the BJP for Dr. Binayak Sen’s continued incarceration.

Do drop us a line to tell us on which Monday we can expect to see you in Raipur.  Please join this effort. Contacts are:

Delhi Office:  Rakhi Sehgal (09911599955) Kavita Srivastava (09351562965) Satya Sivaraman (09818514952)
Raipur Office: Lakhan Sahu (09754130550) Gautam Bandopadhyay (09826171304)
Email: releasebinayak@gmail.com