Reports of ISI link: It’s Indian Social Institute, says Binayak Sen's wife

Wife of civil rights activist Binayak Sen, who is facing charges of colluding with Naxals, today expressed shock over reports that the prosecution tried to link the couple to 'ISI' during arguments at a court.

She told CNN-IBN that the ISI mentioned in an e-mail sent by her which was reportedly referred to by the public prosecutor was Indian Social Institute, a reputed Delhi-based research and advocacy organisation.

Sen, a People's Union of Civil Liberties leader who was in jail for two years before being granted bail by the Supreme Court in May last year, has been accused by Chhattisgarh police of acting as a courier for a jailed Naxal leader.

According to media reports, during closing arguments of Sen's trial here, the public prosecutor tried to link him and his wife Elina to an international terror network.

"Elina Sen has also written an e-mail to one Fernandes from the ISI. We do not know if this is the Pakistan's ISI, but there is some significance to this," he reportedly said.

Expressing shock over the report, Elina said the ISI referred here is Indian Social Institute.

"In fact, yesterday among the many things I did in Delhi (before coming to Raipur last night) was to visit the Indian Social Institute, which is what is referred to as ISI in the story," she said.

If the prosecution is "resorting to this at this stage of the trial when not a shred of evidence has come against my husband, it really points to their desperation," she said.