The Statesman: National: Wednesday, July 05, 2017.
At a time
when there is increasing need for sincere and honest social activists to take
up important issues of justice, accountability, peace and environment
protection, many of them are being denied the democratic space necessary for
taking their issues forward.
One of the
most important strengths of democracy is that if some important issues are
neglected by the government of the day, or if these get distorted by wrong
policies, then space remains open for others to raise the issues or apply the
correctives.
To ensure
this, a system of certain basic freedoms and some support structures should be
built into any vibrant democracy. Despite several shortcomings such a system
has in fact been created in India and has been functioning with reasonable
success.
Unfortunately,
this system appears to be under stress as activists or potential activists feel
increasing pressure to play a more compromising role.
In the
context of these wider changes a recent case which has generated a lot of
resentment has been reported from Kishangarh, Ajmer district of Rajasthan, an
area known at the national and even international level as an important base of
the Right to Information (RTI) movement. In this case on June 13, a prison
sentence of four months was given to some prominent RTI activists who have
attracted national or even international attention for work in RTI and related
issues.
One of these
activists who has been given a prison sentence is Nikhil Dey, an internationally
known activist who played a very important role in campaigns for passing
legislations relating to RTI and rural employment guarantee and subsequently
for their proper implementation.
Son of a very
senior and distinguished ex-Air Force officer from Bengal, De has been involved
in social causes from a young age.
His integrity
was matched by his ability to carry other activists and groups of activists
together, to plan and prepare very useful documents and drafts and to negotiate
with quiet determination to protect the interests of weaker sections.
He has been
sentenced to four months imprisonment on charges of trespass and simple hurt,
charges leveled by a sarpanch who was accused of corruption by many villagers
and who doubled as a liquor contractor as well.
Another
activist who received a prison sentence in the same case is Naurati Bai, a
Dalit activist who made a national impact by her appeal to the Supreme Court to
ensure that the legally fixed minimum wage was paid at drought relief work
sites.
She was
active in the women’s movement as well as in the RTI movement and the movement
for rural employment guarantee. Famous social activist Aruna Roy once described
Naurati as her guru. Subsequently Naurati emerged as a model woman panchayat
leader who could achieve a lot for her village in the midst of hostile
conditions.
Another
activist who got a prison sentence in this case is Ramkaran who is known in
Rajasthan as a selfeffacing and silent social worker. Besides RTI, he has been
involved in other constructive activities including the co-ordination of
important water projects which are known for achieving good results at low
costs. Having travelled with him to several remote villages, I was happy to see
how much regard rural folk for him.
He is also
regarded for his skills in social audits. Why did they get prison sentences?
When they received complaints of corruption against a sarpanch from villagers
they collected evidence and then approached the sarpanch and other responsible
authorities for information on various works. But no matter how many times
information was sought, the sarpanch did not provide this. It was due to this
refusal that the activists took a letter of the Block Development Officer to
his residence.
It is here
that the sarpanch accused them of trespass and causing simple hurt, a charge
stoutly denied by the activists. The People’s Union of Civil Liberties, Aruna
Roy and the MKSS, an organization of workers and peasants, have released
statements that these activists were the victims and not the perpetrators of
this violence.
While several
eminent persons have come forward to demand justice for them and the prison
sentence is suspended pending an appeal, this incident appears to be part of a
rising trend of growing victimisation of activists, violence against them or
implicating them in cases. RTI activists and whistleblowers have had to bear a
heavy burden.
This trend
has to be checked, for its continuation or accentuation will harm greatly the
very base of democratic struggles and hence of democracy itself.
(The writer is
a freelance journalist who has been involved with several social movements and
campaigns.)