2018 alone has seen the death of five petitioners
Patna: While the recent brazen murders of businessmen and a bank official in Bihar has caught media attention, the State is equally dangerous for Right to Information (RTI) activists, with five of them been killed in 2018 alone.
The latest victim was Bhola Sah. Mr. Sah, who was supervising the construction of his house in Banarjhop village in Banka district, was asked by some men in an SUV to accompany them to the local police station on Sunday (December 23). The men said he had been summoned by the station in-charge. When he did not return home, his family members inquired from the police official, who denied having called Mr. Sah. His body was later found near an embankment with several injury marks.
Exposed irregularities
“Bhola Sah was an RTI activist of Banka district and he had exposed several financial irregularities in government social welfare schemes,” said Shiv Prakash Rai, a senior RTI activist.
Earlier this year, Rahul Jha of Saharsa, Jayant Kumar of Garaul in Vaishali district, Rajendra Pratap Singh of Sangrampur in Motihari and Balimiki Yadav of Jamui district were murdered.
“Since 2010, as many as 15 RTI activists have been killed in Bihar… and the government keeps repeating that there is rule of law in the State,” Mr. Rai said, speaking to The Hindu over the phone.
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