NCPRI urges Maha govt to take action to end crimes against RTI activists 

The National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) demanded that the Maharashtra government should take immediate action against the assailants who violently killed an RTI user, Rohit Junawane on November 1 in Pune. The NCPRI released a press statement asking the government to release the information publicly that Rohit Junawane had applied the RTI for.

Rohit Junawane was a milkman from Aundh, who was killed by armed attackers after he had filed an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act regarding information about a construction project. The police has booked nine persons for the crime and detained four others in connection to the murder.

He was seeking information under the RTI Act regarding the construction of a house by an individual named Gajendra alias Dada More at the Westend Mall in Aundh. Rohit was also threatened by Gajendra when he was filling the RTI form.

National Campaign for People’s Right to Information had written to the Maharashtra CM, Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to release the information into the public as an act to deter other such acts of violence.

“The National Campaign for People’s Right to Information (NCPRI) has written to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, demanding immediate action in the matter. The letter calls upon the government to ensure that all the information sought by Mr. Junawane is put in the public domain and widely publicized, which would act as a deterrent against such attacks in the future. The letter is also copied to the State Chief Information Commissioner of Maharashtra for necessary action.”

Rohit Junawane was the 78th individual to be killed for seeking information under the RTI Act and the statement claimed that the government had had failed to implement the Whistleblowers Protection Act passed by Parliament in 2014 resulting in the death of many people. It stated that Maharashtra had the largest number of such crimes against RTI users.

“Mr. Junawane's killing marks the 78th murder of an RTI user who has been silenced for seeking to show truth to power. The government has failed to implement the Whistleblowers Protection Act passed by Parliament in 2014 despite the increasing number of attacks and murders of RTI users. Maharashtra has seen the highest number of murders of RTI users.”

The NCPRI urged the Maharashtra government to take the necessary action to prevent these crimes, by also ensuring that there is a “proactive disclosure of information”. They also asked the Central government to implement the Whistleblowers Protection Act.

In another incident, Meghalaya women's rights activist, Agnes Kharshiing, and her two companions were brutally assaulted in a coal belt area in Meghalaya's East Jaintia Hills district on Thursday, November 8.

The attack on Kharshiing, who is also the chairperson of Civil Society Women's Organisation, an influential women's group, was the second attack on social activists in the East Jaintia Hills district.

On March 19 2018, RTI activist, Poipynhun Majaw, who was the president of the Jaintia Youth Federation was also attacked and found murdered in Khliehriat, the district headquarters of East Jaintia Hills.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma strongly condemned the incident of attack on Agnes Kharshiing and her team.

"We have issued necessary directions to the police and district administration to investigate the matter and arrest those behind the attack. Civil Society plays an important role in a democratic system as they are instrumental in highlighting the concerns of the people." Sangma said in a statement.

"Violence in any form will not be tolerated and the government will take all necessary steps to ensure that those behind the attack are brought to justice," the statement said.

with IANS inputs.