Though more than two days have passed to the killing of RTI activist Ranjan Kumar Das, the Marshaghai police have failed to nab the culprits. Neither have they established cause of the murder.
Meanwhile, demanding the arrest of the accused and Rs 50 lakh compensation to the next of kin of the deceased, Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy has moved the doors of NHRC by filing a petition .
Tripathy pointed out that Das had taken to RTI activism about eight years ago. Das was regularly receiving death threats for seeking information including on the numerous brick kilns that had sprung up illegally. Last month his parents received death threats asking them to keep Das’ activism under check. Recently, Das had lodged a case before the Odisha Lokayukta alleging encroachment of 1,100 acres of Government land by a resident of Mahakalpada for shrimp farming. He had also filed RTI applications seeking details of expenditure on roads constructed by Rural Development department, quality of dry food for babies in Anganwadi Centres under ICDS programmes as well as irregularities in Government schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Yojana and Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awaas Yojana.
The delay in arresting the culprits is a serious question of human rights violation as it involves role of police, intelligence and law and order. Failure of the State in implementing the provisions of Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2013 in the State amounts to serious human rights violation, Tripathy said and requested the NHRC to ensure fair investigation by an independent team of experts.