Express News Service Mumbai The assault on RTI activist Ashok Kumar Shinde is the latest among the increasing attacks on activists in the state. Shinde was allegedly beaten by some unknown persons right outside the Public Works Department (PWD) building earlier this week. He had taken on the PWD with a string of RTIs and later a Public Interest Litigation alleging that the PWD officials had illegally made around Rs 25 crore in the name of repairs at the Bombay High Court premises. "It's no coincidence that I get attacked outside the same department against which I have been campaigning for over a year now," says Shinde, who is back home after hospitalisation This is a scary trend. RTI is the strongest tool in that most activists are using to unearth most scams. State should provide security to the activists with these increasing attacks," adds Shinde who suffered multiple fractures in his limbs in the assault. A case has been registered with the Andheri police. "We are still investigating in the case. We haven't been able to find the motive behind the attack," said a senior official. But Shinde's is not a lone case. At least, five more activists were attacked since January this year. In January, Satish Shetty, a prominent RTI activist who had exposed land scams, was killed in the outskirts of Pune; while a Mumbai-based social activist Nayana Kathpalia escaped a bid on her life. Immediately after Shetty's death, a statewide campaign was launched demanding security to prominent activists. "The state had even shown keen interest in our grievance. But nothing has been done since then," said Shinde. On May 22, RTI activist Datta Patil from Ichalkaranji in the Kolhapur district was found murdered. Patil had petitioned the local court in Kolhapur against horse-trading that took place during municipal council elections. He had also demanded an inquiry into the assets of two former police inspectors, and had lodged several complaints against construction by a prominent builder. Another activist Vitthal Gite, an education activist from Aurangabad, who had exposed irregularities in village schools was killed in a clash between two groups. The activist was seriously injured when the rival group attacked him, after he registered a complaint with the local police and tried to reportedly expose the irregularities through the media. RTI Activist Mr Amit Jethwa from Gujarat was shot dead this evening.
The attack on activists is becoming a growing trend. We have filed several PILs in Supreme Court exposing the nexus of corrupt forest officials and the timber mafia in Uttarakhand. I have received threats regularly. The police does not help. Recently two of our volunteers, Shiv and kavita, a husband-wife team, were attacked by the timber mafia on 10.7.10. The lady is five months pregnant. The timber lobby first got them beaten and then tried to run a jeep over them. Being in the hills they only had to step away from the road to avoid the approaching jeep which could not follow them because it would have tumbled from the mountain. The jeep driver and owner then got down and hit the lady in her abdomen and pushed her down the slope. They then injured the husband by hitting him with stones. Both were admitted to the Civil Hospital, Kotdwar, Pauri Garhwal. The timber mafia flexed there muscles there too. for four days they were not taken care of. The doctors wanted the patients to be removed outside Kotdwar. The conspiracy was very intriguing. This was being done only becasue I was regularly phoning the District Magistrate to file an attempt to murder case. I was in contact with the DM from the first day itself. I was also informed the DM that the information given to him by the subordinate officials including the doctors is incorrect and misleading. Nothing happened for wuite a few days. After 10 days when the media and pressure groups were mobilised the District administration filed an FIR under sections which are bailable.
What we fail to understand is that how can the district administration not file a FIR when the lady was bleeding for four days in Kotdwar. Even after 10 days we got an ultrasound done which shows that the is internal bleeding and the internal organs are swollen.
Because of threat to Shiv and Kavita we have moved them to a safe place and are in a phase where by today or tomorrow we will bring their children who are in their village to them. For the latest condition of the two see
http://www.ndtv.
Can some RTI activist assist us by taking this issue further so that the real story come out.
You may contact me on my phone 9868277171 or email me to jp_dabral@indiatime
Regards
JP Dabral,
President,
Himalayan Chipko Foundation
On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 11:14:29 +0530 wrote
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>Manoj Pai
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