The Director General of Police of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, Vishwa Ranjan, faced intense questioning at a Conference on Indian Democracy: Justice and the Law held at the University of California, Berkeley.

From a region of India with a long history of human rights abuses and state-sanctioned gangsterism, the highest police official of the state of Chhattisgarh faced a barrage of probing questions from fellow panelists and the audience. Students, faculty and members of a coalition of South Asian community groups demanded explanations from the Director General of Police (DGP), Vishwa Ranjan, about the arrests of civil liberties activist Dr. Binayak Sen, filmmaker Ajay T.G., and many others, and police support for right-wing vigilante groups in remote southern districts of the state. Ranjan admitted that arresting documentary filmmaker Ajay T.G. may have been a “mistake,” and signed a postcard supporting the release of imprisoned civil rights leader Dr. Binayak Sen.

Photos | Free Binayak Sen Campaign | Past Indybay Coverage