Duo arrested for murder of 47-year-old RTI activist in Mumbai

[sidmis]

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[Atul Patankar]

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The Marathi press has given a lot of coverage to this news, though locally. Some reports mention that the murder victim's style of functioning was questionable, and that even after unearthing so many scams he was operating alone because of this style.

I do not know why the English press has not covered this news. Is the murder of an activist becoming a non-issue/ a daily occurring not worth reporting?

I am giving below some links to marathi news reports.

Loksatta
Loksatta
Dainik Aikya
eSakal
Maharashtra Times

[Atul Patankar]

RTI activist Dattatray Patil (47), who was murdered here on Saturday, took on every powerful lobby in this powerloom town in pros perous western Maharashtra.

After 10 Congress corporators crossed over to the BJP last year, he initiated an Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) probe into the sus pected horse-trading, which meant trouble for everyone of the 57 corporators. "Except for one corporator, who is a neighbour, no other corporator called on us after his death," said Dattatray's elder brother Kshamananda.

Dattatray had also filed cas es against co-operative handloom societies, which were meant for the disadvantaged but controlled by the rich from the upper castes. There are nearly 350 such soci eties
in Ichalkaranji. "Any of these lobbies could be behind his murder," alleged Kshamananda. As if this was not enough, Dat tatray had also filed a case against the former superintend ent of police for constructing a new police station building at Jaisinghpur, partly with 'dona tions' from the police.

Dattatray stayed in a ram shackle bungalow at Gandhi Camp with the families of his other two siblings. While the eld er brother managed the joint fam ily's jaggery business, Dattatray looked after the 27 acres of farm land the family owned. He was on his routine evening visit on his motorcycle to a field, six km away at
Shivnakwadi, when he was waylaid and stabbed to death around 6 pm. A farm hand called up Dattatray's family on notic ing his body in the fields.

According to Dattatray's family, he had received a threaten ing call on his cell phone at 3.45 pm on Saturday However, the po lice say that the only evidence for that is that he raised his voice while answering the call. The po lice are trying to trace this call.

Based on 'information received from sources', the Kurundwad po lice on Monday arrested two local youths in connection with the murder. According to investigat ing officer API P D Gaikwad, the suspects, Rahul Kumar Dhole (19) and Shrinivas Morka (20), both school drop-outs and residents of a slum behind Boudh Samaj Mandir, Shahpur in Ichalkaranji, have been remanded to seven days' police custody. The two youngsters have no previous police record. He added that they were looking for four more suspects.

Source: The South Asian: RTI Activist Murdered in Kolhapur

[Atul Patankar]

The investingation has yet not been able to establish the motive behind this murder, though the two youths arrested have accepted the responsibility of the crime. Some more reports in Marathi press:

eSakal
eSakal
eSakal

[Atul Patankar]

As reported by Yogita Limaye and Pratap Naik at ibnlive.in.com on 1 June 2010

Mumbai: Another Right to Information (RTI) activist has been murdered in Maharashtra. Datta Patil, an activist from Ichalkaranji in the Kolhapur district, was found dead on May 22. This is the latest among the increasing number of attacks against activists in Maharashtra. Less than 6 months ago, RTI activist Satish Shetty, had been killed in Talegaon near Pune.
Patil who was well known in his hometown Ichalkaranji in the Kolhapur district for taking on administrators via the RTI act was attacked with a sword.
Friend and activist Appa Patil said, "He was involved in a lot of social causes. He exposed corruption amongst several politicians and bureaucrats."

Patil had made several enemies due to his activism.
Patil had petitioned the local court against horse trading during municipal council elections. He had also demanded an inquiry into the assets of 2 former police inspectors. He had lodged several complaints against construction by a prominent builder.
Assistant Police Inspector, Ichalkaranji, Anil Vibhute said, "We are yet to make some arrests in this case... once we do that we can zero in on who the main perpetrator is."
Six persons have now been arrested for Patil's murder but many insist they are not the main perpetrators.

Source: Another RTI activist killed in Maharashtra - India - ibnlive