Times of India: Hyderabad: Tuesday, 05 August 2014.
The tag of an
RTI activist comes with a huge price, especially if one takes it up in rural
areas of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. This was the lesson that RTI
activist J Narasimha Rao learned the hard way when five goons thrashed him on
the night of June 3 at Thullur mandal in Guntur, landing him in a hospital for
almost 10 days. Seven stitches on his head and a long bed rest later, Narasimha
Rao, his wife Sireesha and their two children are now forced to live in fear.
"I dared
to ask the Thullur mandal development office about the money spent on laying of
concrete roads in Bala Yesu Colony by filing an RTI application on the morning
of that fateful day," said Narasimha Rao, who is now recuperating at home.
Although the police action was swift enough with Thullur station house officer,
Y Achaiah, arresting the five accused, the incident clearly reflects how
vulnerable RTI activists are in rural areas.
Similar was
the case of Kukatpally-based RTI activist and founder of Society of Andhra
Pradesh Right to Information Activists (SAPRIA) G Srinivas Rao. While returning
home after work inspecting the Sriramsagar Project (SRSP) site in Warangal, Rao
and his co-activist friend, S Kailash, were attacked by three bouncer- looking
heavyweight goons at Jangiligonda hamlet in Mahbubabad on the evening of July
23. "The attackers were quite strong as one of them hit my right cheek so
hard that it led to a blood clot," said Rao, who had alleged misuse of
government money to the tune of Rs 50 crore in SRSP works in Mahbubabad mandal
in Warangal.
In two
related incidents in Karimnagar, two RTI activists - private lecturer Mamidala
Srinivas and B Lakshman, a student - were the targets, claimed N Srinivas,
district president of RTI Rakshana Vedika, Karimnagar.
On July,
Mamidala Srinivas, a lecturer at Praneeti Junior College, Raikal mandal, was
reportedly bashed up by some employees inside Raikal Tehsil office after he was
accorded permission to inspect some land records. "A false case under
SC/ST atrocities Act was registered against Mamidala Srinivas on the same day
and since then, he has gone underground," alleged N Srinivas, adding that the
former has a good reputation in his native Raikal mandal.
Closer home
at the State Information Commission (SIC), RTI activists are waging yet another
battle to acquire copies of affidavits submitted by public information officers
(PIOs) and appellate PIOs with the former during the pendency of the case. This
is forcing activists like P Veerabhadra Rao to file RTI applications before SIC
to seek copies of affidavits filed by PIOs.
"The SIC
is supposed to follow the Civil Procedure Code (CPC), 1908, guidelines when
dealing with RTI appeals and should provide the appellant copies of documents
filed by the opposite side (PIOs in this case). However, this is not being
done," said advocate-turned-RTI activist Veerabhadra Rao, who filed an RTI
application with the SIC on July 24 seeking affidavit copies of PIO and
appellate authority in his case one year after his case was disposed.
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