The National Human Rights Commission has sought an action-taken report (ATR) from the Director General of Police on the death of rights activists Krupasindhu Sahu and Ganesh Panda allegedly due to the failure of the State government in ensuring safety to RTI users. The apex human rights watchdog while acting on a petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer and rights activist Radhakanta Tripathy sought the ATR from the DGP within four weeks.
The petitioner pointed out that, seeking information about the money and fertiliser utilised in the plantation of paddy saplings has cost the life to Krupasindhu Sahu (40), a farmer a farmer of Nachhigan village of Krushnaprasad Panchayat under Niali police station in Cuttack district whose body was found on January 31.
Similarly, another person Ganesh Panda, an RTI activist of Randha village in Ganjam district was killed on December 29 last year as the deceased’s family members alleged that the miscreants targeted him following he protested against substandard quality items being used for the construction of village roads. Failure of the Government in ensuring safety and security to the human rights and RTI activists amounts to severe human rights violation, Radhakanta alleged.