RTI activist receives threats after obtaining information against Uttarakhand government officials

India Today: Dehradun: Tuesday, 23 June 2015.

Forty-six-year-old Bhupinder Kumar is a familiar name in Uttarakhand. However, the RTI activist based in Dehradun received life threats on phone after he found that state government officers misused funds meant for relief during the 2013 floods.

The information that he obtained has shocked the public and also ruffled many a feather in corridors of power. The bill obtained through RTI shows state government officers stayed in luxury hotels and relished butter chicken, mutton and other delicacies at a time when stranded pilgrims were dying of hunger and cold. The RTI expose affected his freedom. He saw fishy elements near his residence at odd hours. The activist now takes his daily evening walk with a lot of discomfort and starts worrying if a family member is late in coming home.

Kumar said: "I received life threats on my mobile. Besides, I saw many suspicious elements roaming around near my residence after news about the information, which I had collected through RTI, appeared in the media. I approached the local police and they have provided me round-the-clock security. These days, I move out of my house after taking extra precaution."

In the past, he used RTI to collect information about the fund that the police got for conducting cremation of unclaimed dead bodies. He said: "I received information through RTI that the police receive Rs 500 per body for cremation and many a time, cops have to spend the amount from their own pockets. Now, the Uttarakhand Police has decided to hike the amount to Rs 5,000 per body. Similarly, I forced the state police to make provision for providing food to policemen who have to take undertrials to court in course of duty."

The misuse of disaster relief fund has become a major political issue. The findings forced the Congress to go on the back foot while BJP is demanding a CBI probe into the scam. Based on documents obtained by Kumar, the State Information Commission has asked the Uttarakhand government to conduct a CBI probe into the matter.