RTI activists' murder worries Ramesh

Times of India: Patna: Sunday, May 12, 2013.

Union rural development minister Jairam Ramesh has expressed deep concern over the killings of RTI activists in Bihar. In a recent letter to CM Nitish Kumar, he has suggested special audits in panchayats where people have been killed or attacked for uncovering corruption and irregularities.

The Union minister has taken a serious note of the recent killings of RTI activists Ram Kumar Thakur of Muzaffarpur and Ram Vilas Singh of Lakhisarai. He has also made some suggestions to the CM. "There is need for setting up of social audit directorate for MNREGA, special audit of MNREGA/other rural development works where whistle-blowers are grievously injured or killed, compensation to the family of the victim and recovery of money embezzled in addition to criminal proceedings against the wrongdoers," the minister has said.

The letter comes in the wake of the demand from National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) to provide adequate protection to whistle-blowers. NCPRI has been raising the issue of protection to whistle-blowers and pressing for a law to protect them. A bill on this issue is pending in parliament.

NCPRI had last month conducted a public hearing in New Delhi of whistle-blowers and their family members who have faced harassment and threats.

A delegation of civil society representatives who attended this hearing - Nikhil Dey (member, programme advisory group, MNREGA and NCPRI convener), Ashish Ranjan (NCPRI core committee member) and Sanjay Sahni (colleague of Ram Kumar Thakur) - met Jairam Ramesh on April 20 and advised him on possible measures for countering attacks on whistle-blowers. NCPRI has also demanded that Bihar government take serious note of the matter and provide adequate protection to whistle-blowers

In recent years, Bihar has seen murder of several RTI activists. Sridhar Mishra (Begusarai), Murlidhar Jayaswal (Munger), Ram Vilas Singh (Lakhisarai) and Rahul Raj (Muzaffarpur) were among those killed, said social activist Ashish Mishra. Both Ram Vilas Singh and Ram Kumar Thakur had written to their respective district administration regarding threats and abuse, but no action was taken.

Ram Kumar Thakur was killed on March 23 near his village Ratnauli in Muzaffarpur district. No arrest has been made so far in this regard.