Release Binayak Sen, Repeal Chhattisgarh Act

We, the undersigned, are dismayed at the continued detention of Binayak Sen, general secretary of the Chhattisgarh People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), since May 14. Binayak Sen is also national vice-president of PUCL, one of the oldest civil liberties organisations in India.

Dr Sen epitomises a dwindling tradition in India of public health professionals taking healthcare to the poorest sections and most underdeveloped regions of this country. For the past 30 years, he has been promoting community rural healthcare centres. He was a member of the state advisory committee that piloted a community-based health worker programme in Chhattisgarh. He also helped establish the Shaheed Hospital in Dalli Rajhara, set up and operated by workers for over 25 years.