Att ack on RTI activist in Latur:
The entire episode of this attack was recorded on cell and
the video was circulated widely. When on my cell, I went
through it for nearly 40 minutes. Tears flowed from my
eyes. What inhuman activities by Shiv-Sena workers. (If
any one desires to view the video, call me on 9821096052,
I shall forward it).
A Right to Information (RTI ) activist from Latur, Mallikarjun Bhaikkatti, was brutally beaten and his face blackened allegedly by Shiv Sena activists on the premises of a college in the district in front of over 2,000 students, teachers, staff and onlookers. The activist had sought information through RTI queries, about unauthorised construction activity.
Sena youth wing president Aditya Thackeray said that those responsible for thrashing Bhaikkatti had been dismissed by the party. “Heard of the unfortunate incident in Latur. The party strongly condemns the disgraceful act. Those involved have been moved from the party,” he tweeted.
Senior member of the institution which runs the college, Shivaji Bhosle, has been arrested and the police have launched a manhunt for around 25 Sena activists.
Bhaikkatti told TOI , “A group of people with saffron scarves waiting in an SUV with a Shiv Sena emblem assaulted me. They dragged me into their car where they beat me, snatched my phone, and brought me to Shahu junior college campus. They kicked and showered blows on me while some assaulted me with belts and iron rods. They poured wangan lubricant on me.”
District Police Chief Dnyaneshwar Chavan told TOI that they have photos of the incident and are trying to zero in on the culprits based on the pictures.
RTI activist receives 32kg of ‘replies’:
An RTI activist, who was denied information by panchayat officials for his queries under the Right to Information Act, finally received 32 kilos of papers as replies after waiting for eight months.
Daniel Jesudas had requested information on the expenditure and details of work sanctioned by the executive officer of Vellalore town panchayat for a period of six months from August 2014 to February 2015.
He finally received the reply, costing the government more than Rs.11,000. As per the courier slip, courier charges alone were Rs.1,130 and the weight of the bundle was 32 kilos. “The panchayat officials told me they spent over Rs.9,000 just on photo copies,” he said.
3 RTI Activists sad story:
Three RTI activists were arrested in the last week of September on the charge of running an extortion racket targeting builders. The Mulund police said that Laxminarayan Shetty, Pankaj Chandanshive and Anil Mhaske had demanded Rs.2 lakh from a developer for not filing complaints with various government departments.
The developer, Sanjay Gharat, had planned to refurbish an old house with the help of his relative. In January, Shetty allegedly met him and sought Rs.1 lakh for not blocking the repairs by filing a complaint with the local BMC ward office.
According to the First information report (FIR), Gharat paid Rs.50,000. But a few months later, Chandanshive again approached Gharat and demanded Rs.1 lakh. The developer paid Rs.10,000.
Earlier this month, Mhaske allegedly tried to extract more money by saying that Shetty and Chandanshive were part of this group.
This time, Gharat alerted the Mulund police, who arrested the three men. Cops sought their remand for seven days, saying they wanted to find out if the trio was part of a bigger extortion ring that targeted builders. The court granted the request.
Shetty and Chandanshive have two previous criminal cases pending against them.
