Expect a mailed fist

Expect a mailed fist
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/expect-a-mailed-fist/article4818018.ece


Expect a mailed fist

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

A worried father who had not heard from his son for three days sends
him an SMS: "How are you?" However, he never received a reply.

Shanmugam Manjunath, young marketing manager of the Indian Oil
Corporation, was found shot dead in his own car.

"Murdered for sealing a corrupt petrol pump in Uttar Pradesh, this
young man was killed for being a whistleblower. Much like Shanmugam,
whistleblowers and activists almost always remain exposed to threats,
violence and even death," says Saleem Baig, a Right to Information
(RTI) Act campaigner from Uttar Pradesh.

Mr. Baig is no stranger to being "marked out" for daring to question.
He says: "After the RTI Act was brought in, people saw it was a very
powerful tool against corruption, and those who used it demanding the
greater good are never dealt with kindly."

"India has witnessed over a hundred attacks on individuals who have
demanded information and transparency through the RTI Act and several
persons have been killed," says Mr. Baig, who has been publically
humiliated, jailed and forced to shift out of his native village.

The worst-hit among the 'crusaders' are those who seek information on
land issues, implementation of the Public Distribution System,
dispensation of government schemes and those challenging powerful
wrongdoers, says another RTI activist K.P. Gangore, from Madhya
Pradesh. "I have been threatened and false cases have been registered
against me for daring to take on politicians, bureaucrats and those
from the upper caste. Being a Dalit and an activist is like living on
the edge all the time."

With reports about atrocities against RTI activists continuing,
activists are now demanding government protection and an amendment to
the Act. "The issue was raised in Parliament; in 2010, the government
had noted that the Indian Penal Code and the Code of Criminal
Procedure have adequate provisions to enable law-enforcement
[agencies] in the States to take preventive and punitive action. The
Chief Ministers of the States and the administrators of the Union
Territories were also asked to promptly inquire into incidents and
take action. There is, however, a need to amend the RTI Act to protect
those seeking information," says activist Urvashi Sharma from Uttar
Pradesh.

Keywords: RTI Act, PDS, whistleblower protection law