NCPRI demands action against culprits

The National Campaign for People's Right to Information (NCPRI) today expressed its anguish over the alleged murder of RTI activist Mangat Tyagi and death of Chandra Mohan Sharma under suspicious circumstances and demanded action against the culprits.
"The death of these men, in such a gruesome manner, add to a long list of tragedies that highlight the present danger all RTI users face from vested interests. In the last ten years, around 150 cases of physical attacks happened on people seeking accountability from public authorities for their actions using RTI," said Anjali Bhardwaj of NCPRI.
NCPRI demanded that Uttar Pradesh goverment act swiftly to identify Tyagi's assailants and bring them to justice.

NCPRI also demands that the Uttar Pradesh State Information Commission immediately examine the RTI applications and appeals pending in Tyagi's and Sharma's name as part of the investigation to identify their alleged killers as well as order disclosure of all information in accordance with the provisions of the RTI Act.
"All crusaders for accountability, transparency and social justice must be treated as human rights defenders as per the UN Declaration of 1999. While the Information Commissions must monitor the progress of RTI cases, the NHRC must monitor the progress of the police investigation.
"Further, the Lokayukta or the Vigilance Commission in the concerned State must investigate the allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds unearthed by the deceased," NCPRI members stressed.

In his quest to unearth corruption in public works, Mangat Tyagi, aged 70, had reportedly filed around 14,000 requests for information under the RTI Act.

He was shot dead outside his village in Hapur district of Uttar Pradesh by three assailants on April 14.
Sharma (38) had filed over 300 requests for information regarding encroachments on government land, costs for building government roads, the functioning of residents' welfare associations and allotment of land by the government. His body was recovered from his car near his house in Greater Noida on May 2. Both his body and the vehicle were badly charred.

On February 21, the Whistleblower's Protection Bill was passed in Parliament after an extended public campaign by NCPRI and others. However, the bill is yet be enacted as law. While the NCPRI welcomes the passage of the Whistleblower's Protection Bill, the law needs to be operationalized with urgency.