Ahmedabad Mirror: Ahmedabad: Tuesday,
September 06, 2016.
Activists
fighting on behalf of the Dalit victims of 2012 Thangadh firing case have
succeeded in adding pressure on the state government after the Information
Commissioner passed an order, asking the state to hand over a copy of the probe
report at the earliest. Information Commissioner VS Gadhvi passed the order on
August 28 after Dalit activist Kirit Rathod filed a second plea seeking acopy of
the inquiry report. Dalit activist and member of NGO Navsarjan, Kirit Rathod
filed a Right To Information application on January 18, 2013, seeking a copy of
the inquiry conducted by the then Principal Secretary, Social Justice and
Empowerment Department, Sanjay Prasad in the Thangadh firing case.
However, the
department had refused to hand a copystating, "The report cannot be
revealed as it could result in disturbance of law and order in the state."
Rathod appealed against the order in August 16, 2013, following which, State
Information Commissioner VS Gadhvi passed an order in his favor last month. In
the order, the IC said the state had failed to produce valid reasons for not
revealing the report. "Not revealing the report is a violation of the RTI
Act," Gadhvi stated. The commissioner said the state should immediately
take decision on the report as there is clearly a delay in the process.
"After
the decision, the state government should hand over the copy of report to the
applicant," the order reads. Rathod, meanwhile, told Mirror that the
Information Commission has clearly told the government to take immediate
decision on the probe report and hand the copy. "This is our first victory
so far. We want to secure the report in the next three days," said Manjula
Pradeep, director of Navsarjan that is aiding the Dalits, even as Rathod added,
"If the government fails to reveal the report in next 10 days, the
agitations against the state government will be intensified across
Gujarat."
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