The sudden and untimely passing away of Balagopal is a tragic loss for all of us in PUDR and to the civil liberties and democratic rights movement in India. We are still stunned and shocked at the news and unable to find proper words to communicate our grief and sadness or indeed to speak of Balagopal in the past tense. We had got to know Balagopal as the truly committed and tireless fighter for civil rights who, even in the midst of acute repression, never lost his compassion, humaneness, and sense of humour. His passing is a deep personal and political loss for us.