Patna, (Bihar Times): The idea of Right to Information
(RTI) may be too novel, romantic and even effective.
But in Bihar bureaucrats have learnt the art to
overcome it. They are implicating those who dare to
seek information, in false and sometimes serious cases
(such as rape) and putting them behind bars.
There are innumerable cases of harassment at the hands
of officials. For example, Shiv Prakash Rai, who is in
mid-50s, was charged by a former district magistrate
of Buxar, with demanding randhari tax (extortion
money) from him. But can any person simply barged into
the chamber of district magistrate to charge the
amount?
However, thanks to Paresh Saxena, the then
Superintendent of Police of that district, he was
released from the jail after 29 days. Rai’s crime was
that he, under the Right To Information, dared to ask
the details of beneficiaries under Indira Awas Yojana.
Purushottam Prasad of Nalanda district, who demanded
details of land reforms, was implicated in the false
case of stealing kerosene drums.
Retired army personnel, Chandradeep Singh, was even
more unlucky. He was charged with attempting to rape a
woman in Maner. His crime was that he sought from the
police the details of the murder of his son and
daughter.
Another person, Jaiprakash, who sought details of the
construction of Chirayatand overbridge was charged
with obstructing government servants in discharging
duty and disrupting construction works.
According to Parveen Amanullah, the co-ordinator of
Bihar Right To Information Manch, the government
officials had lodged false cases against those who
dared to expose corruption. She further said that
officers should be sensitized as they are unable to
accept the fact that people are now in a position to
demand information from them. She regretted that no
action had been taken against the officials who
levelled false charges against RTI activists.
The irony is that Parveen herself is the wife of top
bureaucrat of the state––home secretary Afzal
Amanullah––yet she echoes the helpelessness of the RTI
activists.
