The Indian Express: Guwahati: Thursday, March 21, 2013.
Incidents of threat and assault on
people seeking information under the provisions of the Right to Information Act
has been on the rise in Assam during recent months,with 13 such persons turning
up in a public hearing here on Wednesday to relate their woes.
“I have been under constant threat for
the past three years and have been arrested on false charges leveled against me
by people who have been affected due to the information I have sought. Ten days
ago a group of masked men fired on our house after they failed to locate me,”
said Sanjit Das of village Ghagra under Dhekiajuli police station in Sonitpur district.
Das had started using the RTI to seek
information about the public distribution system since April 2010. He claims to
have been deliberately denied information. “I have been repeatedly threatened with
dire consequences if I did not withdraw the RTI applications,” said Das, who was
allegedly assaulted inside a police station in May 2010 and subsequently
arrested on alleged false charges.
Sharati Singh of village Bishnupur in Dhemaji
district related how her husband Nandi Singh was hacked to death by a group of
eight persons in their house on September 2, 2012 after he had sought
information about PDS items in the local panchayat. “The culprits are moving
around freely while people are being deprived of their quota of foodgrains
under the PDS,” rued Sharati.
“The number of incidents of threat and
assault on persons seeking information under the RTI Act is alarmingly increasing,”
said Raju Narzary, convenorof People’s Rights Forum, which organized the public
hearing. “While some people have filed FIRs, despite reluctance on the part of
the police, many have not been able to approach the police for fear of being
attacked,” he said.
Harish Peguof Jiyadhol in Dhemaji
district complained that the police reportedly did not showany interest
inpursuing the case even after miscreants attacked him and Robison Pegu,
president of Jiyadhol Anchalik Grahak Suraksha Adhikar Samiti, in February 2008.
Md Amir Hussain of Sipajhar in Darrang
district complained of being physically assaulted and threatened for refusing
to “compromise” with the block development officer. “The police did register my
FIR, but nothing much happened after that. The culprits aremoving around freely
while I live in fear,” said Hussain. He had applied for information regarding
construction of village road under the MNREGA.
State’s Information Commissioner M C Malakar,
who was present at the public hearing, said his office has received several
complaints of harassment, threats and delay in providing information to RTI
applicants. “Allmy office can do is to forward these complaints to the director
general of police. The Act does not empower the Information Commissioner to
take action in cases of threats and harassments. My office has heaps of
applications complaining of denial and delay in giving information,”Malakar said.
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