Thanks to babus, many land in jail for daring to use RTI

[sidmis]

Thanks to babus, many land in jail for daring to use RTI
Reported in Bihar Times

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.


Thanks to babus many land in jail for daring to use RTI

[sidmis]

Jailed for seeking information under RTI !
AS reported by Manoj Chaurasia in the Statesman

PATNA, May 21: Not very long ago, the chief minister Mr Nitish Kumar, launching a call centre for facilitating Right to Information in Bihar, had termed it a historic step which, he said, will "tame corruption, check nepotism and above all help the government tone up the state administration"

However, things have gone in just the opposite direction. The RTI has been reduced to a mockery in Bihar with people being harassed, tortured or jailed for seeking information, by the very officials who are supposed to be implementing the Act.

There are over two dozen cases where the applicants were tortured or jailed for daring to seek information from these babus. The lid over this can of worms was removed by a youth from Buxur, Shiv Prakash Rai at a press conference here yesterday, at which he revealed how he was implicated in a false case of seeking extortion from the district magistrate of Buxur and then threw into jail.

Rai who spent 29 days in jail before the charges leveled against him were trashed by the SP had sought from the DM details of beneficiaries under PMRY of all the 69 banks under the Buxur district.

Similarly, one Chandradeep Singh of Maner under Patna district had to spend 23 days in jail for seeking information from district authorities about the step being taken to provide him safety in the aftermath of criminals killing his son and daughter. He was charged with attempting to rape a woman.

Likewise, Purushottam Prasad of Nalanda, home district of the Bihar chief minister, was implicated in a fabricated case of stealing kerosene oil drums when he sought information about land reforms under RTI.

According to Bihar Right to Information Manch coordinator Mrs Praveen
Amanullah, there are at least 14 cases to her knowledge wherein applicants were mentally tortured by officials for seeking information under the RTI.

"It's sheer mockery of RTI in Bihar. Instead of cooperating with the people, the officials have been implicating them in false cases for using RTI as a tool to expose corruption in the government offices", said Mrs Amanullah.
Mrs Amanullah, wife of Bihar home secretary Mr Afzal Amanullah, who has launched crusade against the corruption and red-tapism in the state administration has herself been a victim. Recently, when she sought details about the services being provided by the Patna Medical College and Hospital under the RTI, the authorities concerned handed her a bill of Rs 5 lakh. The money was charged for photocopying of the relevant documents.

The editor of a popular news portal, bihartimes.com, Mr Ajay Kumar who too had to go through similar harassment said: "Bureaucracy in Bihar is hell-bent on blocking all information. They does not have people-friendly approach."

He said almost all the officials now enjoying key posts in the Bihar State Information Commission were, in fact, former civil servants and hence "all the time they appear to be trying their best to save skin of their colleagues".

Asked for comments, State Information Commissioner Mr PN Narayanan said he had ordered a probe into the jailing of the Buxur youth, allegedly in a false case and other such cases. He however denied that officials were harassing applicants or blocking information. "We act promptly when a case reaches my court", he told The Statesman.

The Statesman