Shehla Masood, the RTI activist from Madhya Pradesh who was shot and killed recently, joined the unfortunate list of seventeen other known cases of RTI activists who have suffered the same fate over the last couple of years. According to a close associate of Shehla, she filed more than one thousand RTI applications in diverse areas ranging from the judiciary, the tendering process, the enforcement of Wildlife and Forest laws, heritage conservation, the lavish spending of public money, and human rights abuses. Quite understandably, she had accumulated a host of enemies across a broad range of departments until some vested interests decided it was time to snuff out this passionate and committed voice forever. Shehla Masood is not an isolated case. Such executions have been taking place every few months with almost predictable precision: Firebrand activist files several RTI applications, becomes a threat to those in power, gets killed by unknown assailants who are never traced.
How many more of our young men and women who have dedicated their lives to public service should we lose before we choose to take notice? Today, thanks to the Right to Information Act, citizens have the right to seek information from the government. But what use is it if those among us who care enough to file these applications are routinely targeted and eliminated by their enemies? “Great work! But do it at your own risk, good luck to you!” is the message we are sending to those with similar drive and motivation. Can’t we do better? Can we at least ensure that those who wish to reform the system or serve the country don’t have to fear for their lives?
The recent anti-corruption movement in India witnessed so many young people shed their apathy and come forward to join a mass movement. These young men and women stepped up to the plate not because they adored Anna. Team Anna was only a catalyst for action. The people who actively participated in the movement did it for themselves and for their future generations. They believed that by participating they could actually make a difference. The dream of a corruption-free India resonated with them, and inspired and motivated them to act. For the first time since Independence the youth of our country displayed that they could think beyond themselves and actively engage in critical civic discourse. As a nation, we need to nurture and build upon this momentum and ensure that this interest is sustained and does not turn out to be a one-time effort. We owe it to them and to future generations to implement tough laws that protect whistle blowers.
A good place to start would be to ensure that justice is served in the case of Shehla Masood and other similar victims. But is our political class capable of this? Without a truly independent investigative agency can justice be served? Given the track record of our past investigations, what confidence, if any, can one have that the CBI investigation will lead to anything at all?
It all circles back to our politics, our democracy and our elected representatives. We have a democratically elected Ruling Party which appears to be leaderless and an Opposition that is grappling to remain relevant. We have investigative agencies that are merely puppets at the beck and call of those in power. We have a judicial system that seems incapable of speedy delivery of justice. To top it all, we don’t have strong laws to nail the criminals.
Every time a murder of this kind occurs, it remains in the media eye for a couple of months and then vanishes almost completely from public attention. The family is left to deal with the irreparable loss and the criminals go scot-free.
If surveys are to be trusted, the Congress is on the decline and the BJP is on the ascent. But at the end of the day these two parties are no different from each other, while the rest are inconsequential. The reality is that RTI activists are at risk no matter which party is in power. Corruption is deeply ingrained in the DNA of all our parties. There are no easy answers to this predicament, but the sooner we realize that all our political options are equally horrific, the faster we will coalesce towards a solution. In the meantime tough laws (a.k.a Jan Lokpal bill) are our best bet and hope, and a baby step towards curtailing corruption and ensuring justice. Until such time, it is highly unlikely that the unfortunate victims among us will ever receive justice.
Author
Pran Kurup
(A blogger at Economic Times)
Twitter : www.twitter.com/pkurup
Facebook : www.facebook.com/pran.kurup
About the Author
Mr. Pran Kurup
Pran Kurup graduated from IIT Kharagpur in 1989. He is Founder, President and CEO of Vitalect, an e-learning company, providing online training and learning solutions to create and manage online content. Pran is also actively involved in social activities. He co-founded the alumni Web site of IIT Kharagpur, is member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and previously served as the Chairman of the Silicon Valley Indian Professionals Association (SIPA).
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