6 RTI activists killed in 5 years, accused still at large

Times of India: Patna: Monday, 22 December 2014.

Six RTI activists have been killed in Bihar in the last five years for daring to seek information from different authorities.

Two of them Rahul Kumar and Ram Kumar Thakur were murdered in Muzaffarpur district in March 2012 and March 2013, respectively, while Murlidhar Jaiswal was killed in Munger district in March 2012, Rajesh Kumar in Bhagalpur district in December 2012, Ram Vilas Singh in Lakhisarai district in December 2011 and Shashidhar Mishra in Begusarai district in February 2010. In three cases, the main accused are yet to be arrested.

Family members of Ram Vilas, who was killed at his native village Babhangawan under Lakhisarai police station area, were so much terrorized that they shifted his son Abhishek Kumar to New Delhi. "I have returned to my district town just a month back, but all my well-wishers and relatives are advising me to go back to Delhi. They say I may be killed any day as the main accused in my father's murder case, Bumbum Singh, is still roaming free," Abhishek told TOI.

"Thakur, a lawyer and RTI activist, was shot dead near Purushottampur village in Muzaffarpur district when he was returning by his cycle from the district court with his nephew. He was shot dead by six persons and none of them have been arrested yet despite a named FIR lodged against them. Raj Kumar Sahni is the main accused in the case.

Similarly, the main accused in Jaiswal murder case Bablu Mandal is yet to be arrested," National Campaign for Peoples' Right to Information (NCPRI) activist Ashish Ranjan said.

A delegation of NCPRI led by Ranjan and noted RTI activist Shiv Prakash Rai recently called on Bihar DGP P K Thakur and drew his attention towards alleged 'police inaction' in cases of RTI activists' murder.

"We have time and again been pressing the police for arresting the persons who killed six RTI activists. But to our dismay, the main accused in the three cases are roaming free and threatening the deceased's family members," Rai told TOI. He also said he has planned to file a PIL in the Patna high court, if police failed to take necessary action in these cases.

When contacted, DGP Thakur said he had sought reports from the district police concerned in all six cases. ADG (law and order) Alok Raj, who is looking into the matter, said the police headquarters had demanded file of all the six cases from the district police. "After review at headquarters level, we will, if necessary, constitute special teams to nab the accused evading arrest," Raj said.