We have come to know that our dear friend and comrade Dr Partho Sarothi Ray, Associate Professor, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon case. He has been asked to present himself before the investigators in Mumbai on 10 September at 11am.
Partho has been pro-actively involved with peaceful, democratic people’s movements, especially the struggles for the rights of poor and marginalised dalits and adivasis. He is an active member of Persecuted Prisoners’ Solidarity Committee as well as Joint Action Committee for Social Justice. His tireless work in defence of civil liberties and for the release of political prisoners is exemplary. Partho has been ever-present in marches, rallies, and other street programmes with his stirring but lucid speeches and an endearing smile.
At IISER, Partho has been carrying out extensive and useful research on molecular biology. His pioneering work on viruses has taken him to the lecture-halls in universities and scientific gatherings across the globe. He is a front-runner in the present battle against Covid-19 and his idea of community participation has been successfully implemented in Nadia district, inviting widespread interest. He was among the scientists consulted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to understand the character of the Coronavirus and formulate a policy to tackle the pandemic.
The harassment of Dr Ray by the NIA is yet another sinister attempt in the fascist regime’s witch-hunt at silencing the voices of dissent and protest. We, the undersigned, strongly condemn this brazen assault on democratic activities and demand immediate withdrawal of NIA’s menacing, threatening interrogation notice. We stand hand-in-hand with Dr Partho Sarothi Ray.
Signed
- Aamra ek Sachetan Prayas
- Aashita Dawer, Professor, OP Jindal Global University
- Abhijit Pathak, Chartered Accountant
- Abhijit Roy, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Achin Chakraborty, Professor, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
- Achin Vanaik, Professor (Retd), University of Delhi
- Adibashi Gaonta
- Adibashi Juan Mahal
- Adibashi Samanyaya Mancha
- Aditi Chowdhury, Citizen
- Aditi Roy Ghatak, Journalist
- Aditya Nigam, Professor, CSDS, Delhi
- Afaf Jameel, Schoolteacher
- AJC Bose, Professor, SRCC, University of Delhi
- Ajijul Haque, Writer
- Dr Alessandra Mezzadri, Dept of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London
- Alik Chakraborty, CPI (M-L) Red Star
- All India Central Council of Trade Union (AICCTU)
- All India Federation of Trade Unions (AIFTU – new)
- All India Kshet Mazdoor Kisan Sabha (AIKMKS)
- All India People’s Forum (AIPF)
- All India Peoples’ Science Network (AIPSN)
- All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA)
- All India Revolutionary Students’ Organisation (AIRSO)
- All India Revolutionary Women’s Organisation (AIRWO)
- All India Sanjukta Kisan Sabha
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- All West Bengal Sales Representatives’ Union (AWBSRU)
- Aloke Mukherjee, CPI (M-L)
- Alpa Shah, Associate Professor, London School of Economics
- Amal Sanyal
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- Ambikesh Mahapatra, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Amit Bhaduri, Professor (Retd), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- Amit Kundu, Journalist
- Amit Roychowdhury, Prof. & Head, Dept of Aerospace Engineering & Applied Mechanics, Indian Institute of Engineering Science & Technology (IIEST), Shibpur
- Amitabha Chakraborty, Activist
- Amra Monbhashi
- Analabha Basu, National Institute of Biological Genomics
- Ananta Acharya, Editor, Chetana Lahar
- Aneek Patrika (Bengali Monthly)
- Anik Dutta, Filmmaker
- Aniket Chattopadhyay, Filmmaker
- Anindita Sarbadhikari, Filmmaker
- Anindya, Blogger
- Anindya Sengupta, Professor, Jadavpur University
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- Anjali Monteiro, Filmmaker & Academic
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- Anup Gampa, Asst Professor, Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California
- Anuroop Mallik, Folk Singer
- Anwesha Sengupta, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
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- Arup Baisya, Writer, Silchar
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- Asoke Prasun Chattopadhyay, Dept of Chemistry, Kalyani University
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- Bolan Gangopadhyay, Journalist & Social Activist
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- Chanchal Chakraborty
- Chandan Sen, Playwright
- Chandrashekhar Bhattacharya, Journalist
- Charoibeti
- Chiara Bertone, Associate Professor in Sociology, University of Eastern Piedmont, Italy
- Chittaroopa Palit, Narmada Bachao Andolan
- Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP), West Bengal
- Confluence, IISER, Mohali
- CP Geevan, Former Senior Environmental Scientist, Independent Researcher
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- Dibyendu Dey, Dept of Mathematics, Kalyani University
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- Prof. Felix Padel, Anthropologist & Writer
- Feminists in Resistance
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- Freny Manecksha, Independent Journalist
- Dr Fuad Halim, People’s Health Activist
- G Arunima, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- Ganatantrik Sangrami Udyog
- Gautam Chakraborty
- Githa Hariharan, Writer
- Gopa Joshi, Associate Professor (Retd), University of Delhi
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- Goutam Seal
- Harkumar Goswami, Guwahati
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- Indira Ghose, University of Fribourg, Switzerland
- Indu Chandrasekhar, Publisher
- J Devika, Feminist Historian
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- Jagdeep Chhokar, Former Professor and Dean, IIM Ahmedabad
- Jai Bhim India Network
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- Jayati Ghosh, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
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- Joyraj Bhattacharya, Theatre & Social Activist
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- Kamal Sur, No NRC Movement
- Kaushik Sen, Playwright & Actor
- Kavita Krishnan, AIPWA
- Keya Bhaumik Gupta, Activist
- KP Fabian, Ambassador (Retd)
- KP Jayasankar, Filmmaker & Academic
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- Krishna Bandyopadhyay, Activist in Women’s Movements
- Kumar Rana, Social Activist
- Kunal Chattopadhyay, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Kuntal Rudra
- Lalitha, Jana Chinthana Kendra
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- Manoj Bhattacharya, RSP
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- Maroona Murmu, Associate Professor, Jadavpur University
- Masood Akhtar
- Dr Matilde Adduci, Dept of Development Studies, SOAS, University of London
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- Megha Unwer, Professor, Purdue University, Italy
- Miratun Nahar, Writer
- Mitra Sengupta
- Moinak Biswas, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Moushumi Bhowmik, Singer & Music Researcher
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- National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM), West Bengal
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- Nilanjan Dutta, Writer, Filmmaker, Human Rights Activist
- Niranjana Shetty, Human Rights Activist
- Nisha Biswas, Activist
- Nitish Roy, Singer
- Nivedita Menon, Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- No NRC Movement
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- Pallab Kirtania, Singer & Composer
- Pamela Philipose, Journalist
- Papiya Adhikari, Actor
- Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, www. paranjoy.in
- Partha Chatterjee, Professor, Columbia University
- Partha S Banerjee, Writer & Retired Journalist
- Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, Dept of Library & Information Science, Kalyani University
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- Paschim Banga Ganasanskriti Parishad
- People’s Film Collective
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- Prabhat Patnaik, Professor Emeritus, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- Prabir Mukhopadhyay, Teacher (Retd), South Point School
- Pradip Chatterjee, Activist
- Prakriti Sebasram Sangha
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- Pramod Gupta, Social Activist
- Pranab Kanti Basu, Professor (Retd), Vishva-Bharati
- Prantajan
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- Probal Dasgupta, Professor (Retd), Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata
- Progressive Democratic Students’ Federation (PDSF)
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- Pulak Chanda, Professor (Retd), Shyamsundar College
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- Purbasha Auddy, Jadavpur University
- Purbayan Chakraborty, Student, Karnataka State Law University
- Purulia Bauri Samaj Kalyan Samiti
- Rabin Chakraborty (Retd), Calcutta University
- Rajashri Dasgupta, Social Activist
- Ramesh Dixit, President, Samvidhan Bachao Desh Bachao Abhiyan, Uttar Pradesh
- Ranjan Palit, Filmmaker
- Ranjana Padhi, WSS
- Ranjit Sur, Human Rights Activist
- Ratan Khasnabis, Former Professor, Calcutta University
- Ravi Pallur, Political Activist
- Refraction (Magazine)
- Revolutionary Cultural Forum
- Revolutionary Youth and Students’ Federation
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- Richa Singh, SKMS, NAPM UP
- Right to Food & Work Campaign, West Bengal
- Rimi B Chatterjee, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Ritam Bhaumik, INRIA, Paris
- Ritam Palit, Student Activist
- Rohan Banerji
- Romar Correa, Professor, University of Mumbai
- Rongili Biswas, Writer & Musician. Associate Professor, WBES
- Ronny Sen, Photographer-Filmmaker
- Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Actor
- Sabyasachi Chatterjee
- Sabyasachi Chattopadhyay, Dept of History, Kalyani University
- Sabyasachi Deb, Poet
- Sachetana
- Sahoman
- Sailendra Nath Bhattacharya, ECL Colliery Sramik Union
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- Salil Biswas, Principal (Retd), South City College
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- Sandeep Pandey, Socialist Party (India)
- Sanjay Basak, Journalist
- Sanjay Kak, Filmmaker
- Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Calcutta University
- Saswata Ghosh, Professor, Institute of Development Studies, Kolkata
- Saswati Ghosh, Academic & Activist
- Satarupa Sanyal, Filmmaker
- Satya Sagar, Journalist
- Dr SC Byne, Gana Adhikar Mancha, Durgapur
- Shakti Pada Badyakar, SC-ST-OBC & Minority Employees’ Federation, Durgapur
- Dr Sarmistha Dutta Gupta, Independent Researcher
- Shamim Ahmed, Writer
- Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Delhi
- Shukla Bhowmick
- Sipra Mukherjee, Professor, Jadavpur University
- Sitansusekhar, Na Hanya Te
- Solidarity Against NRC, Murshidabad
- Soma Marik, Associate Professor, RKSM Vivekananda Vidya Bhavan
- Sonali Dutta Roy, Faculty, Ambedkar University, Delhi
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- Soumitra Dastidar, Filmmaker
- Dr Soumya Sahin, Asst Professor, National University of Juridical Sciences (NUJS)
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- Sramajibi Mahila Samiti
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- Subhash Deb, CPI (M-L) PCC
- Subhasis Bandyopadhyay, Associate Professor, IIEST, Shibpur
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- Sugata Ray
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- Sukumar Muralidharan, Journalist and Journalism Instructor
- Sumit Bhaduri, Scientist (Chemist)
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- Sumit, Filmmaker, Writer
- Sunandan Chakraborty
- Supriya Chaudhuri, Professor Emeritus, Jadavpur University
- Sushanta Mukherjee, Activist
- Sushil Khanna, Professor (Retd), Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIMC)
- Sushovan Dhar, Trade Union Activist
- Susmit Bose, Singer-Composer, Activist
- Suvrat Raju, International Centre for Theoretical Sciences, Bengaluru
- Swaraj Abhiyan
- Swastha Siksha Nirman
- Tanika Sarkar, Historian, Professor (Retd), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU)
- Tanima Saha, Dept of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Kalyani University
- Tapas Kumar Bandyopadhyay, Professor, Dept of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Kalyani University
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- Tarun Bhartiya, Imagemaker & Union Activist, Shillong
- Tobu Banglar Mukh
- Trade Union Centre of India (TUCI)
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- Umar Awais, United Forum for National Integrity (Rajabazar Shireen Bagh)
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- Utpal Basu, Dept of Molecular Biology & Biotechnology, Kalyani University
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- Yuva Bharat, West Bengal