Binayak Sen reunites with family

Rights activist fears threat to life from Chhattisgarh government

Coming out of the jail to a warm hug from his daughter and wife and to the cheers of his supporters, a frail-looking Sen told reporters his movement against state violence would continue.

“I am very happy to be released.  It feels very good to be out of the jail,” he said.
Asked if he felt there was threat to his life from the government, Sen said: “I have a danger from the Chhattisgarh government.”

Sen, vice president of the People’s Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL), had been in jail since May 14, 2007 on charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for acting as a courier for an alleged Naxalite leader lodged in a Chattisgarh jail while on his visit as a doctor.

Replying to questions, Sen said he had been condemning all forms of violence whether by the Maoists or the police or  the forceful displacement of the people from their land.

Emotional reunion

It was an emotional reunion with his family for Sen when he walked out of the jail. With tears in her eyes, his daughter Aparajita hugged him as he came out of the jail.

“I am too excited about the thought to spend time with him. I am seeing him after a long time,” she said. Sen’s wife Ilina said she was extremely relieved.

Aparajita said she would spend time with him at home and take care of his health. Sen himself is a trained pediatrician who ran a weekly clinic for the local tribal people and was piloting a community-based health programme in the state.

“Getting him back to health is the first priority,” said Aparajita’s brother Dipankar.

Sen was awarded the prestigious Jonathan Mann Award for Global Health and Human Rights for his services to the poor and the tribal communities and his unwavering commitment to civil liberties and human rights.

Even before his release, Sen was so eager to meet his family members that he peeped through the iron grill to have a glance of his daughter waiting outside. Sen said he was looking forward to spending some time with his family and friends.