"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

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Is India emulating west, 'using' anti-terror plank to justify state-supported violence?

Fahad Ahmad, Baljit Nagra* Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused India of being involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader, on Canadian soil. Narendra Modi’s right-wing Hindu nationalist Indian government is defiant and denies involvement. Indian officials have instead admonished Canada for being a “ safe haven ” for Sikh “terrorism,” a pejorative for Sikh self-determination .

Adani Group declares it will "self-finance" Australian coal mining project: Traditional group registers fresh opposition

By A Representative The controversial Adani Group's Carmichael coal mine and rail project in Queensland, Australia, will be "100% financed" through the Group’s own resources, Adani, Mining CEO Lucas Dow has said. A South Asia Times, Melbourne, report has quoted Dow as saying in Queensland, “We have already invested $3.3 billion in Adani’s Australian businesses, which is a clear demonstration of our capacity to deliver a financing solution for the revised scope of the mine and rail project." Dow Pointing out that "the project stacks up both environmentally and financially", he added, "Today’s announcement removes any doubt as to the project stacking up financially... The Carmichael Project will deliver more than 1,500 direct jobs on the mine and rail projects during the initial ramp-up and construction phase, and will support thousands more indirect jobs, all of which will benefit regional Queensland communities.” The project faces fierce opposition ...

As 2024 draws nearer, threatening signs appear of more destructive wars

By Bharat Dogra The four years from 2020 to 2023 have been very difficult and high risk years for humanity. In the first two years there was a pandemic and such severe disruption of social and economic life that countless people have not yet recovered from its many-sided adverse impacts. In the next two years there were outbreaks of two very high-risk wars which have worldwide implications including escalation into much wider conflicts. In addition there were highly threatening signs of increasing possibility of other very destructive wars. As the year 2023 appears to be headed for ending on a very grim note, there are apprehensions about what the next year 2024 may bring, and there are several kinds of fears. However to come back to the year 2020 first, the pandemic harmed and threatened a very large number of people. No less harmful was the fear epidemic, the epidemic of increasing mental stress and the cruel disruption of the life and livelihoods particularly among the weaker s...

Call to "enjoy" pilgrimage of Sabarmati beyond Ahmedabad, where river water turns black

Sabarmati at Vautha By A Representative Nagrik Sashaktikaran Manch (NSM), a Gujarat-based civil rights organization, has called upon the state's citizens to join in a "unique yatra" along the river Sabarmati, starting in Ahmedabad and ending off the Gulf of Khambhat, where the river is supposed to merge with the sea. Pointing out that in Hindu culture, rivers are equated with Mother Goddess, NSM convener Jatin Seth says, it will be a "special event of pilgrimage", because, just like Ganga, Sarbarmati possesses "special properties." "Starting at Giaspur, one can see how industries are releasing chemicals in Sabarmati, and you get a Thumbs-Up like colour of the water, and if you drink it, you are sure to be at least affected by cancer, and this way would enable you to book your ticket in the paradise. The river has a special smell, too, emanating from a black cocktail-type colour", says Seth in a statement. A village next to Sabarmati river In...

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

India ODF? Toilets considered hotspots of infections, hence people defecate in open

By Aayush Gupta* "Sanitation is more important than political freedom" -- Mahatma Gandhi It was on October 2, 2019, that Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the completion of India's Swachh Bharat Mission with the construction of over 107 million toilets – calling India, for once and for all, "Open Defecation Free" (ODF). The announcement came 11 years ahead of the United Nations' 2030 vision.

What if a Hindu male marries a Muslim female? Why is it never discussed?

By Harasankar Adhikari Is interfaith marriage in India a curse? Many incidents of interfaith marriage witness dangerous victimhood. Various public media (cinema, theatre, TV serials, and so forth) are continuously raising (will continue to raise) their voices against this discrimination. Is it not a biassed campaign? Everybody uses it to criticise Hinduism and its stringent orthodox rules of law. But if a Hindu male marries a female of Islam, then what may be the situation? It was never discussed, is being discussed, or is to be discussed. Particularly, secular politics never utters a word. Perhaps, all the wrongs are with Hinduism because of its application. Everybody always talks of liberty to Hindus. Is it not a one-sided game? There is a common tendency to support minorities. In reality, the minority or majority is a playing card. Everybody likes to play it. And they never think about it liberally. No religion permits interfaith marriage. For this reas...

Search This Blog