Binayak Sen's conviction 'travesty of justice', says CPI

Terming the conviction of rights activist Binayak Sen and two others by a Raipur court as "travesty of justice", the CPI today said that genuine activists and its party workers were being targeted by the police in Chhattisgarh and false cases thrust on them.

"All genuine activists like Sen and even CPI cadres are being targeted by the security forces in the state and false cases foisted on them. It is travesty of truth and justice," party national secretary D Raja said.

Asking all democratic forces to "rally behind Sen" and challenge the order of an additional district and sessions judge, he said "what is going on in Chhattisgarh is atrocious.

Sen is a well-known doctor working among the tribals.

"If such activists, who are giving dedicated service to the tribals and other people in neglected regions of the country, have to face such a situation, then where are we heading to," Raja asked.

The CPI leader said home minister P Chidambaram, at a meeting with him several months ago, had promised to look into how the prosecution had gone against Sen.

Raja said Chidambaram had then described the anti-naxal private army, Salwa Judum, as a non-state actor.

The CPI has lodged complaints against police excesses in Chhattisgarh with even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying their activists were being targeted and jailed after being branded Maoists and slapped with false cases.

Sen, 58, a renowned medical practitioner, naxal ideologue Narayan Sanyal and Kolkata businessman Piyush Guha were convicted for sedition and sentenced to life imprisonment for colluding with Maoists to establish a network to fight the state by additional district and sessions judge B P Verma in Raipur yesterday.