RTI activist suicide: NHRC issues notices to Mah govt, police

NHRC has issued notices to Maharashtra government and state police seeking a report on the death of an RTI activist who committed suicide allegedly under pressure from some high-profile people.
According to a statement released by National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) today, notices were issued to the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police of Maharashtra calling for a report on the matter within two weeks.
The notices were issued after the commission took suo motu cognisance of a media report on the suicide case of RTI activist Vilas Dattatrey Baravakar (53).
"Baravakar was found hanging at his residence in Chakan, Pune on March 25 leaving behind a suicide note alleging that several prominent politicians and top serving and retired officers of IPS in Maharashtra were harassing him. Reportedly, in the suicide note, he has named several persons who he said were harassing him for long," the statement said.

Baravakar had gone to Khed Tehsildar officer for some work a day before he committed suicide. After returning home that evening, he asked his guard Suresh Jadhav, a police constable, to go back to police station. He had written his suicide note on a stamp paper of Rs 100.
While issuing the notices, the Commission observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights of an RTI activist.