Vikram Buddhi
| Vikram Buddhi | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1971 India |
| Occupation | Student and Teaching Assistant |
| Criminal charge | threatening the life of George W. Bush and Bush's family |
| Criminal penalty | sentenced to 57 months of prison |
| Criminal status | Released |
| Parent(s) | Captain Buddhi K Subbarao and Syamala Buddhi |
Vikram S. Buddhi (born May 10, 1971) is an Indian Ph.D student and teaching assistant at Purdue University who was imprisoned by United States authorities in 2006 for writing anti-Bush content, which involved direct death threats via his yahoo account, and publishing them online.[1][2][3] He was released from prison but was re-arrested immediately by the Department of Immigration for not possessing a valid visa, and had so far not been deported to India.[4]
Biography
Buddhi was born to Syamala Buddhi and Captain Buddhi K Subbarao.[5] His father was a senior defense scientist with the Indian navy who had been tried for leaking naval secrets in 1988. However he was acquitted in 1993.[6] The charges were that he was leaking naval secrets which turned out to be his own PhD thesis which was a document available freely in libraries of reputed institutions of Nuclear Research. The police were reprimanded for their complete ignorance of what constitutes a secret.
Arrest
Buddhi was arrested on April 14, 2006 and found guilty of threatening the life of a US President in 2007.[7] Earlier on Friday, February 3, 2006, Buddhi was questioned by the Secret Service who made a formal report saying that Buddhi was not a threat to the US President or any Secret Service protected person.[7]
Trial
The prosecution has alleged that Buddhi posted messages on a Yahoo business discussion forum which appeared in December 2005 and January 2006 calling upon the people of Iraq to retaliate against Iraq war and kill then president George W. Bush, vice-president Dick Cheney and their spouses. Buddhi's lawyer Somnath Bharti has alleged that the indictment did not mention any of the alleged charges and the prosecution failed to establish Buddhi as the author of the messages although they originated from a Purdue University IP address. Buddhi had hacked the Yahoo ID's of thousands of Purdue University Students, then used those hacked stolen ID's to spread anti-Bush, Anti-War messages across Yahoo's Discussion Boards, using an automated software program known as a "Bot".[8]
Reaction
Buddhi has received considerable support from the alumni and staff of the IITs, who have joined with his father and lobbied for his release with External Affairs Minister, SM Krishna[1] and former US President Bill Clinton.[2]
See also
External links
- Dr. Buddhi Kotasubbarao, "Roxana Saberi And Vikram Buddhi – Compel A Comparison," April 21, 2009, countercurrents.org
- Buddhi v. USA, Motion to Vacate / Correct Illegal Sentence, filed April 15, 2013, Indiana Northern District Court
References
- 1 2 PTI (October 7, 2009). "IIT teachers, students demand release of Vikram Buddhi". Daily News & Analysis. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- 1 2 NDTV Correspondent (October 6, 2009). "Will Clinton help free IIT alumnus from US jail?". NDTV. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ↑ "Vikram Buddhi not giving up". Times Now. October 19, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ↑ Newspaper Report, The Times of India, July 6, 2011
- ↑ Singh, Vijay (May 10, 2009). "Free my son, make me happy: Mother's Day plea to Obama". Times of India. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ↑ Singh, Vijay (April 21, 2006). "Vikram has been framed". Times of India. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- 1 2 "Student jailed indefinitely over alleged anti-Bush remark". Russia Today. October 15, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.
- ↑ "Indian student languishes in US jail, alleges abuse". The Economic Times. October 18, 2009. Archived from the original on October 21, 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-21.