Wednesday, June 13, 2018

RTI Activist was mercilessly beaten up, arrested and put behind bar in Angul


RTI Activist was mercilessly beaten up, arrested  and put behind bar in Angul district, Odisha
Pradeep Kumar Sahu, Recipient of  best volunteer award from Chief Minister, National Youth Awardee and  renowned RTI Activist  was  manhandled , then beaten up mercilessly  by  the forest officials of  DFO Office, Angul  on his visit  to the said office  to file RTI Application on 9.5.18. Later  he was arrested  by the police  on FIR lodged  by officials in connivance with police, but  his  first FIR was ignored  by the Inspector-in-Charge, Angul police station. On 11.6.18,  Sri Pradeep Sahu  has filed two petitions to Odisha Human Rights Commission and Odisha Information Commission seeking justice.
Details of incident leading to attack and arrest of RTI Activist

·         On 9.5.18, Pradeep  along with  his  Activist-friend Jitendra Samal  had gone to the office of Divisional Forest Officer, Angul  to submit RTI Application   and met Basudev Nayak, ACF  and discussed  with him about purpose of their visit. Time was around 9.15 AM. During discussion with ACF, they asked for information of other RTI Applications submitted earlier. It is to be mentioned here that  since huge corruption, irregularities  and misappropriation of  crores of rupees  sanctioned for plantation and forest development project is going on , Pradeep and local people  are using RTI to expose it  and they have also filed  a number of complaints to Director, Vigilance, PCCF, Odisha  for inquiry.  However,  having seen another RTI Application on another corruption issue,   Sri Nayak, ACF  got irritated and started rebuking them  using slang language ( Haireshala tume kuade asichha ………………).  Then he immediately shouted and called his staff to teach them lession. Immediately few staff of DFO office reached in the spot , gheraoed and started beating them black and white. They kicked like anything   and strangulated them.  Though they tried to retaliate them, they  could not succeed.    It continued for two hours. At last  the police reached and rescued them.
·         After reaching in police station, they  filed FIR in Angul Police station.  The Inspector-in-Charge received their  complaint but did not register the case. But they  were held up by the police in Police station.   
·         Just after few minutes of our FIR being filed,  Sri Basudev Nayak along with few staff reached  in the police station and  filed  counter FIR against Pradeep  leveling unnecessary  false charges  against them. He alleged that they put fist blow to his neck and Jitendra held his hands and threatened to murder him. Astonishingly, the IIC, Angul immediately registered their FIR and within hours produced them before the court of SDJM, Angul   who refused to grant bail and forwarded them to jail. They got released on bail after 20 days of custody.
·         Pradeep is social Activist. Since last few years, he along with his friends have been using RTI  to expose corruption and give justice to the poor people in Angul district.   He has been awarded Prakruti Mitra award by district administration for his outstanding work in  the field of protection of forest, While working with forest protecting groups, he  has come across  huge corruption and irregularities  in forest development project  and plantation.  To fight out corruption, he has been using RTI in different offices including DFO office.  
·         Being disturbed over his repeated expose about corruption and subsequent filling of plethora of complaints demanding inquiry, the staff of DFO  office and more particularly ACF have got vindictive and conspired to attack him several times. 9.5.18 was an faithful day for him to execute his conspiracy    and to take revenge against Pradeep and his friend Jitendra.  
·         Pradeep has filed complaint to OHRC and Odisha Information Commission seeking inquiry and quick action against the culprits.

Pradeep Sahu can be contacted  M-9937439848
Pradip Pradhan
RTI Activist
State Convener, Odisha Soochana Adhikar Abhijan
M-9937843482

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