RTI activist alleges he was held hostage, threatened at civic office in M.P.

He had sought information on beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana

An RTI activist from Madhya Pradesh’s Shivpuri district on Tuesday (December 11, 2024) alleged that he was held hostage and threatened at a local municipal office when he went there to collect information. 

Speaking to The Hindu, Devendra Chaurasiya, a local activist, said that he went to the Nagar Parishad office in Narwar town on Tuesday to collect information on beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PM) he sought under the Right To Information (RTI) Act in March this year.  

“I had filed the RTI application on March 2 and they called me examine the beneficiary list on April 3. After examining, I had sought details of 112 beneficiaries from the list but I was told that they were not available at the moment. Ever since, I have visited the office and spoken to officials multiple times but they always gave a different reason and delayed sharing the details,” he said. 

Mr. Chaurasiya said that on Tuesday he was called to the civic office by Habeeb Khan, who retired last month from the post of branch in-charge in the construction department.

“He had been delaying sharing the information for months but called me today saying that he was also going to the office. But when I got there, chief municipal officer (CMO) Praveen Narvariya said that they still did not have the complete information,” he said, adding that he submitted a letter explaining the timeline since March and asked Mr. Narvariya to receive the letter. 

“He refused to receive the letter and directed other officials to lock the gate. They put two locks on the main gate and Mr. Narvariya and current branch in-charge Ankur Jain threatened to kill me and used abusive language,” Mr. Chaurasiya said, alleging that the officials also asked him to take back a case he had filed in 2021 based on a similar RTI information plea on PMAY beneficiaries. 

‘Under pressure’

“That case is currently pending with the Lokayukta in Bhopal and they have been constantly pressurising me to take it back,” he said.

Mr. Chaurasiya charged that many beneficiaries include the family members and relatives of civic officials and local politicians. 

“I had to call a local journalist and the gate remained locked for over 45 minutes. They only opened it when he started recording a video and talking to people gathered outside,” he added. 

Mr. Chaurasiya has also filed a complaint with the local police in connection with the matter. 

Kedar Yadav, Narwar police station in-charge, told The Hindu that a counter complaint was received from municipal officials who alleged that Mr. Chaurasiya tore up some government documents and obstructed the official work. 

While Nagar Parishad chairperson Padma Maheshwari could not be reached on phone, her husband Sandeep Maheshwari, a local politician, denied the allegations and alleged that some local journalists and RTI activists “blackmail” officials by filing applications. 

“The main gate is kept locked at all times as stray cattle enter the premises. The chairperson was not at the office at the time of the incident but these people often create ruckus in the name of RTI information. Their allegations are false,” Mr. Maheshwari said. 

The Hindu tried to reach Mr. Narvariya and Mr. Jain but multiple calls were not received.

Published - December 11, 2024 01:05 pm IST