10 RTI Activists Killed or Assaulted Since Covid Lockdown in March 2020; As Usual No One Cares
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The fate of the whistleblowers, killed because of use of Right to Information (RTI) to expose corruption and to demand transparency, continues unabated, despite the pandemic, with 10 RTI activists having lost their lives, across the country, since March 2020. And what is unnerving is that the cases continue to languish, thanks to apathetic attitude of law enforcing authorities, local authorities, media and society in general.
Since the implementation of the RTI Act in 2005; 91 RTI activists have been killed, 175 have been assaulted, 186 have been threatened and 7 have died by suicide, across the country.
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The fate of the whistle-blowers, killed because of use of Right to Information (RTI) to expose corruption and to demand transparency, continues unabated, despite the pandemic, with 10 RTI activists having lost their lives, across the country, since March 2020. And what is unnerving is that the cases continue to languish, thanks to apathetic attitude of law enforcing authorities, local authorities, media and society in general.
Since the implementation of the RTI Act in 2005, 91 RTI activists have been killed, 175 have been assaulted, 186 have been threatened and 7 have died by suicide, across the country.
“The increase in the number of attacks on RTI users and activists since March 2020 is very disturbing, to say the least,” says Venkatesh Nayak, RTI research scholar and programme coordinator of Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI). “Such instances are rampant in Odisha in particular. The increase in the number of activists killed during this period is i
Lockdown in Bhutan, blow to border trade Only trucks carrying essential items were allowed to enter Bhutan
Commercial activities in Jaigaon, the town in Alipurduar district that sits on the Bhutan border, came to a grinding halt on Wednesday as a countrywide lockdown was announced in the Himalayan country for seven days following a sudden surge in Covid-19 cases.
“Trade in Jaigaon and in Alipurduar district as a whole has suffered a major setback because of the pandemic and the consequent lockdown. After the initial lockdown had been eased on either side of the border, things started becoming normal in the past couple of months. The second lockdown from today (Wednesday) would only add to our distress,” said Ramashankar Gupta, the general secretary of the Jaigaon Merchants’ Association.