Right To Dissent: i) A Doctor To Defend: The Binayak Sen Story ii) Prisoners of Conscience

May 27, 2011 | 6.00 pm
M. C. Ghia Hall, Kala Ghoda, Mumbai

To dissent is to ask why and is fundamental to creating spaces for negotiation, debate and dialogue. The erroneous invocation of detention laws, charges of sedition and the incarceration of Binayak Sen by the Chhattisgarh court led to global protests of dissent against repression of human rights in a democracy. A public health activist and civil rights defender, Sen has spent over three decades providing healthcare to deprived tribal communities and unorganised labour while advocating non-violent political engagement to resolve societal conflicts. The public criticism for securing his release acquired the dimensions of a mass movement, expressing an over-arching concern of incarceration of other citizens under such outdated laws. The suspension of his sentence and release on bail on the orders of the Supreme Court of India question the material inconsistencies and structural flaws of his case and continue to be factors for debate in public conversations and pedagogic enquiry. His release is not a closure but inspires new possibilities of change and offers alternative ways of thinking amidst sustained dialogue.

Right to Dissent, convened by Tushar Joag, an initiative consisting of an art exhibition, film screenings, a panel discussion and performance in Mumbai continues this interrogation against questionable verdicts and comes together in solidarity for citizens denied of their rights for democratic aspirations.

Minnie Vaid | A Doctor To Defend: The Binayak Sen Story (2010)

Anand Patwardhan | Prisoners of Conscience (1978)