Taxi driver beaten up for exposing corruption.

Daily Bhaskar: Ahmedabad: Monday, May 21, 2012.

A member of the taxi drivers' association at the domestic airport in the city found himself at the receiving end of the body's ire for exposing its alleged misdeeds through RTI. Kamlesh Parmar, a taxi driver and member of the pre-paid taxi drivers' association at the airport, was attacked around 2.30 pm on Saturday. He has accused one Tahir Kazi and Ketan Solanki of attacking him. Both Kazi and Solanki are members of the association as well. Both were charged under the Atrocity Act by Sardarnagar police.

Parmar had filed an RTI after the association charged Rs 120 from the members as subscription fee but gave a receipt for just Rs 75. "The RTI exposed the corruption. We wanted to know where the rest of the money was going. As I had filed the RTI application, they attacked me," said Parmar. He said following the application he was thrown out of the association and prevented from working there. "I have not been allowed to work at the airport since I filed the RTI. My livelihood is being threatened for exposing the corruption in the organisation," said Parmar. He said he will also make a representation to the airport director in the matter.

The RTI also revealed the details of earlier complaints made by the now president of the association Bharat Parmar. The RTI revealed that Bharat, then a secretary, had approached the free legal aid service of the government and submitted a letter accusing the traffic police of extorting Rs 2,500 from them every month . Bharat had also accused the association of demanding anywhere between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000 to let someone become a member. Later, Parmar became the president and the matter was buried. Bharat Parmar when contacted said, "I am at a social function and cannot talk."