RTI activist killed, another attacked in Karnataka
HOSAPETE, BENGALURU: Karnataka witnessed two separate attacks on RTI activists on Thursday, leaving one dead and the other severely injured.At Harapanahalli town in Vijayanagara district, a gang of assailants attacked T Shridhar, 40, with iron rods and bricks on Thursday night. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died later.
His sister Saraswati M alleged, “He was receiving threat calls from followers of an MLA. My brother had sought a clarification on the birth certificate submitted by the MLA’s son during the recent gram panchayat elections. He was constantly being pestered to drop the RTI query. He had told the family about the threats. On Thursday night, he went out to have tea and he was attacked.”
Asked about the involvement of the politician’s son, Ballari Superintendent of Police Saidulu Adavath said all angles are being probed. Three teams have been formed to trace the assailants, he added.In Bengaluru, another RTI activist Venkatesh S alias ‘Maamaiah’ (43), a resident of Tavarekere, was attacked, leaving his right arm and right leg severed. The attack occurred just outside the gates of his farm in Tavarakere on Magadi Road.
While the police said that they are probing the angle of cheque bounce and cheating cases against Venkatesh, his brother Govindraju S claimed that the assault was due to the activist’s fight against corruption.
Govindaraju said that his brother Venkatesh had sought documents under RTI on the construction of a building on government land, and alleged that the police are diverting attention. The cheque bounce case against Venkatesh was solved in the court a year ago, he added.“They have found the CCTV footage. Let the police arrest the accused and find out the real reason behind the attack,” he said.
A senior police officer said that preliminary investigations revealed no links between the attack and Venkatesh’s RTI activism. The attack left Venkatesh with a severed right arm and right leg, which were rejoined after a complicated surgical procedure at Hosmat Hospital. He has been admitted to ICU and his condition is said to be stable.
“A special team has been formed to arrest the assailants and we have definite clues about them,” the police officer said. A gang of five men, armed with lethal weapons, came on bikes and attacked Venkatesh before fleeing.