Made to sit for hours in DySP office, Gujarat police tells Ranjanben she was never called

Ranjanben in DySP office on November 10

By Pankti Jog*
The alleged illegal detention of a visually challenged Right to Information (RTI) and disability rights activist, Ranjanben Vaghela, has taken an unusual turn, with the police, in a reply to her RTI plea, have said, they did not have “any records” of her “detention.”
On November 10, Ranjanben was called by the DySP office in Khambhat, a Central Gujarat town, and was compelled to sit for hours till chief minister Vijay Rupani’s development campaign in the taluka ended. Her “detention” took place following her written application to the deputy collector seeking appointment with Rupani during his visit to Khambat.
Earlier in May, Ranjanben had sent a letter requesting an appointment with Rupani to his office, but did not receive any reply.
Ranjanben filed her RTI application on November 13 wanting to know the reasons as to why she was detained in the DySP office, as also the necessary documents to show the orders that may have been issued about it, as also the statement recorded by the police.

Visually challenged woman had sought information under the life and liberty clause of RTI Act, which requires information to be revealed within 48 hours

Talking with me on our RTI helpline from Khambhat, Ranjanben said, “I have a copy of my statement, as well of the time when I was made to sit in the police station, yet they say I was not called and no statement was recorded. How is this possible? It’s shocking”.

Ranjanben Vaghela

Ranjanben had sought information under the life and liberty clause, section 7(1), of the RTI Act, which requires information to be revealed within 48 hours. Now, she says, she will file an appeal.
Meanwhile, I have learned, in a surprise move, the public information officer (PIO) of the DySP office, Rimaben Mumshi, has transferred Ranjanben’s application to city the police station, which was not in picture regarding the detention.
“It’s unfortunate that the office of a high ranking police official called up Ranjaben for recording a statement, yet denied that she had ever been called! It seems that the PIO of the DySP office is unaware of basic provisions of the RTI Act”, said Harinesh Pandya, who heads Janpath, a network of Gujarat voluntary organizations.

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