Click to play videoNew Delhi: The signs held by Human Rights activists protesting the arrest of Dr Binayak Sen clearly spelt out their demands.
They demanded that the Chhatisgarh Special Public Security Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention Act — the laws under which Dr Binayak Sen has been arrested — be repealed.
His arrest came in wake of his alleged links with the Maoists. His wife, however, paint a different picture. "This is a motivated act because of his anti-government stand," says Dr Ilina Sen.
"This is a direct attempt to silence the Human Rights activists who fight for those who find themselves at the receiving end of the system," says Human Rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
A physician who has worked for decades in the villages of Chhatisgarh, Dr Sen is also the secretary of People's Union For Civil Liberties (PUCL).
But what perhaps made him a target was his vocal criticism of the Salwa Judum, which was the state government's policy to fight Maoists with ordinary villagers.
His supporters say the immediate provocation of the doctor's arrest was his criticism of fake encounters in the state.
"It is directly linked to the fake encounter killings at Santoshpur and is another new phase where every dissenter is labeled as the state tries every means to hide it's dark deeds," says Bela Bhatia, an activist.
Dr Sen's arrest is widely seen by these activists as an attempt to silence the voices of dissent. But as the protests grow louder, the Chattisgarh government may just find it more difficult to justify his arrest and detention.
In the Capital, protesters are also trying to put pressure on the state and central governments. "No one will be spared for unlawful activities," says Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh.
But the man in the middle of the controversy is stoic knowing that there are people who will not so easily wave goodbye to civil liberties and human rights.
(with inputs from Geetika Pokhriyal in New Delhi)
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