Pune Mirror: Pune: Tuesday,
March 04, 2014.
In a
nationwide study which found that 151 Right To Information (RTI) activists
across the country have been murdered, assaulted, harrassed and forced to
commit suicide between 2005 and 2013, Maharashtra has ranked on top of the list
of murdered RTI proponents while 27 such activists were assassinated in the
studied period, seven out of them were from Maharashtra.
According to
data compiled by the Central Public Information Officer of the Department of
Personnel and Training, New Delhi released in December 2013, the seven include
Satish Shetty, Arun Sawant, Vithal Gite, Datta Patil and Ramdas Patil
Ghodegaokar in 2010, as well as Premnath Jha in 2012, and most recently, Abrar
Sheikh in December 2013.
The murdered
crusaders interestingly all from western Maharashtra were done away with for
utilising RTI to expose scams related to sand mining, construction, education,
politics, land and civic projects.
Sandeep
Shetty, brother of slain activist Satish Shetty who was killed in a high
profile murder in January 2010 for exposing land mafia, told Mirror, “There has
not been much of a change in the attitude of the government towards the safety
of whistleblowers. Maharashtra is a developed state, so there is more
awareness. But to expose scams and corruption, RTI activists tickle the system
of power, which no longer remains friendly towards them. They will stay
vulnerable until a sense of fear is instilled among the corrupt.”
Mumbai-based
RTI activist Krishna Raj Rao opined, “The RTI success rate is higher here,
which is also why there have been more murders. The nexus between politicians,
government officials and the mafia is prominent. RTI activists fight to reform the
system it’s contradictory to think the system itself will protect. Transparency
is a better deterent than police protection.
An activist
should not work secretly, he should bring information into the public domain,
sharing it with the maximun number of people. Then, if s/he is attacked or
harrassed, suspicion is pinned on the person about whom information was
disclosed. Activists should also work in groups.”
Rao added,
“Like filmstars and sportspersons, RTI activists too could be recognised by the
government and awarded this will work towards their safety.”
City-based
RTI activists concur. Vihar Dhurve told Mirror, “Politicians and bureaucrats
often work hand in glove with mafia there is no deterrence from the
government, or fast track courts to tackle corruption cases.” Vijay Kumbhar
echoed, “The nexus between politicians, goons and government officials is
prominent, adding to rising murders of RTI activists.
The
government’s attitude is laid back. We all know who killed Satish Shetty, but
has any action been taken?”