BENGALURU: An RTI activists, who along with many others, had gone to the Lokayukta office demanding justice over graveyard encroachment, alleged that the anti-corruption watchdog had served a notice for recording his statement a day after he was supposed to record his statement.
Activist S Bhaskaran is a petitioner in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) graveyard encroachment case. He claimed that the officials had sent him a notice on March 14 for appearing before them with documents and record his statement on alleged graveyard encroachment at JJ Nagar in Chamarajpet.
However, he said that the date for recording his statement was on March 13. Bhaskaran told TNIE that on March 6, he along with dozens of other activists, had approached the Lokayukta over Hindu Kannadigas and Hindu Tamialian graveyard encroachment.
“We met Justice BS Patil, and the Lokayukta officials told us they will conduct a joint inspection. But before that, a notice will be served to appear before them with documents and record statement. However, the notice was sent a day after the date for the statement recording,” alleged Bhaskaran.
He claimed the notice was generated on March 10 and his statement was to be recorded on March 13, but as per the postal order, it shows the officials sent the notice on March 14. A furious Bhaskaran alleged that the officials have done this deliberately.
“This is nothing but an attempt to to derail the probe,” he said, and alleged that BBMP officials have turned a blind eye towards graveyard encroachment and even blamed sitting MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan and his followers for allegedly destroying the graveyard. He demanded that Lokayukta probe into the matter, and BBMP officials be summoned to explain why the complaint was ignored.