"Setback" to Gujarat govt: Information commissioner orders release of report on death of 3 Thangarh Dalits

By A Representative
In a major setback to the Gujarat government, the state information commission, official watchdog of the right to information (RTI) Act, has ordered immediate release of the one-person inquiry report on the September 22-23, 2012 Thangarh police firing of Saurashtra region.
Prepared by Sanjay Prasad, IAS, who then served as principal secretary, social justice and empowerment department, the report is said to have indicted senior police officials for ordering the police firing, which led to the death of three Dalit youths during protest rallies on two consecutive days.
The report on the police firing in the industrial town of Thangarh, situated in Surendranagar district, was submitted by Prasad on May 1, 2013, and despite repeated pleas by Dalit rights activists, especially those with the Navsarjan Trust in Ahmedabad, to release it, the state government refused to do it.
Ruling against the refusal to release the report, state information commissioner VS Gadhvi, in his order dated August 22, 2016, insisted that the Gujarat government should take “immediate action” on the release of the report, insisting, “Its copies should be provided to the applicant.”
The RTI plea for releasing the report was made by Kirit Rathod, a senior activist of Navsarjan Trust, last year. The final hearing on refusal to release the report took place in the state information commission on August 5, 2016.
Apprehending that the Gujarat government may not even now release the report, Navsarjan Trust executive director Manjula Pradeep, addressing a media conference, has warned, “If this happens, we will hesitate to knock the doors of the Gujarat High Court.”
Added Rathod, “What 182 MLAs of the Gujarat state assembly failed to do, was made possible on the basis of pursuing a simple RTI plea and its hearings.”
The state government has refused to release the report under Section 8(1) of the RTI Act, which, among other things, exempts the state to disclose any information that would cause a breach of privilege of Parliament or the State Legislature.
The state government has been contending, the Sanjay Prasad report would be first submitted to the state assembly before it is made public. Yet, things have failed to move.
Gadhvi in his order notes, the argument that the report has not been placed in the state assembly “does not stand” as it is “not necessary”, adding, “Release of the report in no way violates the privilege of the state assembly.”
The order to release the report becomes particularly important following the Gujarat government’s recent decision to form a special investigation team (SIT) to reinvestigate the firing incident. While the police had closed its investigation, the decision of the state government has given a new hope to Dalit rights activist that, finally, the truth would be out.
Meanwhile, father of one of the three Dalit youths (Valjibhai Rathiod, father of Mehul Rathod, who died in police in police firing) has said that he would organize a major protest against the state government if it does not release the report within the next 10 days.

Comments

Why Venezuela govt granting amnesty to political prisoners isn't a sign of weakness

By Guillermo Barreto On 20 May 2017, during a violent protest planned by sectors of the Venezuelan opposition, 21-year-old Orlando Figuera was attacked by a mob that accused him of being a Chavista. After being stabbed, he was doused with gasoline and set on fire in front of everyone present. Young Orlando was admitted to a hospital with multiple wounds and burns covering 80 percent of his body and died 15 days later, on 4 June.

Walk for peace: Buddhist monks and America’s search for healing

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The #BuddhistMonks in the United States have completed their #WalkForPeace after covering nearly 3,700 kilometers in an arduous journey. They reached Washington, DC yesterday. The journey began at the Huong Đạo Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 26, 2025, and concluded in Washington, DC after a 108-day walk. The monks, mainly from Vietnam and Thailand, undertook this journey for peace and mindfulness. Their number ranged between 19 and 24. Led by Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara (also known as Sư Tuệ Nhân), a Vietnamese-born monk based in the United States, this “Walk for Peace” reflected deeply on the crisis within American society and the search for inner strength among its people.

Pace bowlers who transcended pace bowling prowess to heights unscaled

By Harsh Thakor* This is my selection and ranking of the most complete and versatile fast bowlers of all time. They are not rated on the basis of statistics or sheer speed, but on all-round pace-bowling skill. I have given preference to technical mastery over raw talent, and versatility over raw pace.

When a lake becomes real estate: The mismanagement of Hyderabad’s waterbodies

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava* Misunderstood, misinterpreted and misguided governance and management of urban lakes in India —illustrated here through Hyderabad —demands urgent attention from Urban Local Bodies (ULBs), the political establishment, the judiciary, the builder–developer lobby, and most importantly, the citizens of Hyderabad. Fundamental misconceptions about urban lakes have shaped policies and practices that systematically misuse, abuse and ultimately erase them—often in the name of urban development.

Bangladesh goes to polls as press freedom concerns surface

By Nava Thakuria* As Bangladesh heads for its 13th Parliamentary election and a referendum on the July National Charter simultaneously on Thursday (12 February 2026), interim government chief Professor Muhammad Yunus has urged all participating candidates to rise above personal and party interests and prioritize the greater interests of the Muslim-majority nation, regardless of the poll outcomes.

When grief becomes grace: Kerala's quiet revolution in organ donation

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Kerala is an important model for understanding India's diversity precisely because the religious and cultural plurality it has witnessed over centuries brought together traditions and good practices from across the world. Kerala had India's first communist government, was the first state where a duly elected government was dismissed, and remains the first state to achieve near-total literacy. It is also a land where Christianity and Islam took root before they spread to Europe and other parts of the world. Kerala has deep historic rationalist and secular traditions.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

'Paradigm shift needed': Analyst warns draft electricity policy ignores ecological costs

By A Representative The Ministry of Power’s Draft National Electricity Policy (NEP), 2026 has drawn sharp criticism from power and climate policy analyst Shankar Sharma, who has submitted detailed feedback highlighting what he calls “serious omissions” in the government’s approach to energy transition.

Beyond the conflict: Experts outline roadmap for humane street dog solutions

By A Representative In a direct response to the rising polarization surrounding India’s street dog population, a high-level coalition of parliamentarians, legal experts, and civil society leaders gathered in the capital to propose a unified national framework for humane animal management. The emergency deliberations were sparked by a recent Suo Moto judgment that has significantly deepened the divide between animal welfare advocates and those calling for the removal of community dogs, a tension that has recently escalated into reported violence against both animals and their caretakers in states like Telangana.

Search This Blog