Meeting to Discuss the Issue of
Political Prisoners in India

23rd April, 2006
Ambedkar Bhawan
New Delhi

A number of democrats and democratic organisations mainly from Delhi but also from other states met in Delhi on 23 April 2006 in Ambedkar Bhawan, Pahargunj and discussed the problems of thousands of political prisoners incarcerated in various prisons across the country.

The following decisions were unanimously taken at the end of the meeting:

A committee with a name Campaign Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners is formally and initially formed in this meeting with an open invitation for organisations and individual democrats to join in the committee. Some organisations, participated in the meeting as observers, would later confirm their participation after discussing in their respective organisations.

A number of organisations and individuals who have been approached from various states are announced as part of the Campaign Committee.

More organisations and individuals will be approached to join the committee.

The committee will have a 10-member executive initially working from Delhi to initiate and to look after the work of the Campaign Committee. The persons who offered to be on the committee are: Prashant Bhushan, Nirmalanshu Mukherjee, SAR Geelani, N D Pancholi, Vijay Singh, Saibaba and Rakesh Shukla. Three others will be approached to join this committee.

Professor Nirmalanshu Mukherjee, University of Delhi offered his residential address for the Campaign Committee. Now onwards his address 38/2, Probyn Road, Delhi 100 007 is the address for correspondence for the Campaign Committee. Email address: notoprisons@gmail.com

It was decided to collect the concrete details of the cases of the political prisoners from various states. A data bank of the political prisoners is be to prepared with the help of which an analysis has to be prepared.

1. Two activists based on Delhi with the skills of documenting and preparing the analysis of the cases of political prisoners will found to work fulltime for the committee. A team of senior lawyers will guide these activists.

2. It was decided to form the similar Campaign Committees in all states with the active initiation of all those who consented to form the committee.

3. It was decided to approach all civil and human rights organisations in the country to assist the Campaign Committee in securing and compiling the data regarding all cases of political prisoners and conditions of prisons. Organisations which are part of the committee or organisations whose activists and leaders are arrested will also be approached to provide the details of the political prisoners.

4. The tabulation sheets or proforma models for collecting the details will be prepared by the senior advocates in Delhi. Prashant Bhushan has taken the responsibility for this.

5. A note on the concept of political prisoners will be prepared by the 10-member executive committee.

6. A mass campaign will be launched to take the issue of political prisoners to the wider people in India and abroad. The campaign will create a public opinion for the release of political prisoners of all organisations irrespective of their political opinion or perspective.

7. Initially some important political cases will be gathered and analysed to present them before the people and government.

8. A Jan Sunwai will be held in August/ September 2006 in a big way.

9. The Campaign will be run all over India and internationally.

Delhi

1. Achin Vanaik, University of Delhi

2. Akhilesh Gaur

3. Anand Chakravarti, University of Delhi

4. Anand Swaroop Verma, Social Activist

5. Anil Chamaria, writer, Columnist

6. Arundhati Roy , Writer, New Delhi

7. Bela Bhatia

8. Bhim Sen Tyagi

9. Kamal Mitra Chenoy, Professor, JNU

10. Manorajan Mohanti, Lok Chakra, retired Professor, University of Delhi

11. N K Bhattacharya, Jan Hastkshep, Delhi

12. N.D. Pancholi, Advocate, New Delhi

13. Nagaraju, Social Activist, Delhi

14. Neeraj Malik, University of Delhi

15. Nirmalanshu Mukherjee, University of Delhi

16. Pankaj Bist, Writer

17. Praful Bidwai, Writer, Delhi

18. Prashant Bhushan, Advocate, New Delhi

19. Prempati, Social Activist

20. Raj Kishore Secretary, R.D.F.

21. Rajendra yadav, writer

22. Rajesh Tyagi, Advocate, Delhi

23. Rakesh Shukla, Advocate, Delhi

24. Ramesh Anand

25. Ramkumar Kishak

26. Rona Wilson, Research Scholar, JNU, New Delhi

27. Saibaba, University of Delhi

28. SAR Geelani, University of Delhi

29. Shahana Bhattacharya, Delhi University

30. Sharmila Purkuyastha, Delhi University

31. Sohan Chaudhary

32. Tripta Wahi, University of Delhi

33. Ujjwal Kumar, University of Delhi

34. Umachakravorty, Professor, Delhi University

35. Vijay Singh E.C., DUTA, Delhi.

36. Viswanath Tripathi

Uttar Pradesh

37. Anupam Sharma, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

38. Ashok Prakash, Convenor, Shahid Bhagat Singh Chetna Manch, Aligarh.

39. Bhagawant Prasad, Rtd. District Judge, Allahabad

40. BM Nagar, Ex President, Kisan Sangharsh Samiti

41. Charles Samuel Singh, Aligarh Civil Court

42. Chaudhary R P Singh, Aligarh Civil Court

43. CP Sharma, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh

44. Abinesh Agrawal, Dept., of Physics, Bareilly College

45. Ful Singh Baghel, Aligarh Civil Court

46. H.N. Singh, Advocate, Chairman, Bar Council, Aligarh Civil Court

47. Hari Om Barsheney, Advocate, Aligarh Civil Court

48. Hasmat Ali, Advocate, Bareilly Court, Bareilly

49. Md. Israr Khan, Reader, Economics Department, MJP

50. Mira Bhattacharya, Rtd., Prof. of Political Science, Gorakhpur University

51. Nahar Khan, Advocate, Bareilly Court, Bareilly

52. Ramdeo Shukla, Professor & Head, Department of Hindi, Gorakhpur University.

53. Rajen Mishra, Aligarh Civil Court

54. Ruhelkhand University, Bareilly

55. S.P. Singh, Advocate, Allahabad High Court, DHRF

56. Surendra Mohan Yadav, Advocate, Bar Council, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh

57. Upasana Gautam, Convenor, Jagruk Chatra Manch

58. Y.M. Mishra, Advocate, Allahabad High Court, IAPL

Bihar

59. Meera Dutt, Editor, Talash

60. Mithilesh Kumar, Adocate, IAPL

61. Preeti Sinha, Editor, Filhal

West Bengal

62. Amit Bhattacharjee, Professor, Jadavpur University

63. Amitdyuti Kumar, Vice President, APDR

64. Chotan Das, General Secretary, Bandi Mukti Committee

65. Ram Ratan Chatterjee (APDR), Kolkata

66. Sujata Bhadro, Secretary, APDR

Orissa

67. Anadi Das, Ex-M.P.

68. Dandapani Mohanty, Darman Prathirodh Manch, Orissa

69. KPK Rao, Advocate & TV Reader

70. S.K. Mahapatra, Advocate

71. S.N. Mudali, Advocate

72. Viswapriya Kanunga, Advocate

Jharkhand

73. Jitan Marandi RDF, Jharkhand

74. Neetai Ravani, Advocate

75. Satyanarayan Bhattacharya, Advocate

76. Shashibhushan Pathak, Democratic Rights activist

77. Tridib Ghosh, Civil Rights Activist

Andhra Pradesh

78. Bojja Tarakam, Advocate, Andhra Pradesh

79. KR Choudhary, Professor & Agricultural Scientist, Andhra Pradesh

80. Lateef Md. Khan, CLMC

Maharashtra

81. K.D. Rao, Advocate, IAPL, Mumbai

Haryana

82. Balbir Singh Saini, Advocate, Ambala, Haryana

83. Balbir Singh, Advocate

84. Ramesh, Democratic Rights activist

Uttarakhand

85. Sunil, President, Progressive Students’ Union, Uttarakhand

86. Prashant Dhayani, Journalist