Threatens suicide, widow asks to stop investigation in RTI activist Vilas Baravkar’s death case

Photo courtesy dnaindia.com

Deceased Right to Information ( RTI) activist Vilas Baravkar’s widow has requested authorities to stop investigation of his suicide. Baravkar had committed suicide on 25th march 2014 and left behind a suicide note naming 52 individuals including top civic and police officials on 100 rupee court fee stamp. Now his widow ujwala has alleged that officials are repeatedly calling her and other people for inquiry to know exact cause of her husband’s suicide.

Ujwala has written to state minister for home, Superintendent of police, CID , deputy  superintendent of police, Police Inspector ,chakan . Senior correspondents’ of of TV9, IBN Lokmat , Zee 24 taas and , me ( Vijay Kumbhar).In her letter she says,’ we are not aware of exact cause of my husband’s suicide, my husband was working in field of RTI, human rights, anti corruption , consumer movement, Varkari Sampraday (a pilgrim ). He had unearthed many scams through RTI, and had also compelled to arrest fraud “ BABAs” through Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti. He had also helped resolve family disputed of many.

She further says that, today also people come to us asking for help. I and my son do our best to help them honestly. Now a days me and my family is going through various problems. Meanwhile investigating agencies (she has used word “Nyay Vyavastha” means judiciary) are calling us and others frequently asking us exact cause of  my husbands suicide. This is causing us a mental, social, economical and physical harassment and also creating a lobby against us in society.

With above allegation she has requested authorities to stop accepting RTI and other applications in her husband’s suicide case. Otherwise she fears that society and investigating agencies (She has used word Judiciary ) will  compel them to end their  life  as mentioned by her husband in suicide note.

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How did Public authority send a document to late RTI activist Vilas Baravkar via facility that was already withdrawn ?

Few days back RTI activist Vilas Baravkar committed suicide. He had left a suicide note naming some politicians and Bureaucrats. After this incident on 26/03/2014 state information Commission, Pune bench had ordered District collector, Pune police , Inspector general of Police and zilla Parishad to place all the information Shree. Barawakr had asked on their websites.Only pune collector has followed SIC orders and put some information on its website. However this information is incomplete and vague. In such cases every Public authority is supposed to put all the information including deceased activist’s applications, appeals, information provided to him and all the related correspondence on website. ( off course subject to other sections of RTI act).However it is not done so.

At this stage I don’t want to blame anybody, However one document in this information reflects that at the end of March 2011 concerned office had sent it to shree Baravkar by Under certificate of posting ( U.C.P Or popularly known as U.P.C). Most important thing is on 31 January 2011 Department of posts and telegraphs had withdrawn this facility, then how come that office sent said document to Baravkar by U.P.C ?. It is serious .Hence I request both of you to conduct thorough inquiry in this matter and see that all the information Mr . Baravkar had asked made public. Under section 18 of RTI act you have ample powers for summoning and enforcing the attendance of persons and compel them to give oral or written evidence on oath and to produce the documents or things, requiring the discovery and inspection of documents, receiving evidence on affidavit, requisitioning any public record or copies thereof from any court or office, issuing summons for examination of witnesses or documents etc..  As well most of the information  Baravkar had asked falls under section 4 of the RTI act, hence please make sure that the officers who didn't comply section 4 get penalized.

काही दिवसांपूर्वी माहिती अधिकारी कार्यकर्ते विलास बारावकर यांनी आत्महत्या केली होती. आत्महत्ये पूर्वी त्यांनी स्टॉम्पपेपर वर सुसाईड नोट लिहून ठेवली होती.याप्रकरणी राज्य माहिती आयुक्त पुणे खंडपिठ यांनी २७/३/२०१४ रोजी जिल्हाधिकारी,पुणे पोलिस , जिल्हा परिषद, रायगड पोलिस यांना पत्र पाठवून विलास बारावकर यांनी मागीतलेली सर्व माहिती संकेतस्थळावर ठेवण्याचे आदेश संबधितांना दिले होते. पैकी जिल्हाधिकारी पुणे यांनी काही माहिती संकेतस्थळावर ठेवली आहे मात्र ती खूपच अपूरी आणि अस्पष्ट आहे. सर्व माहिती म्हणजे बारावकर यांनी केलेले सर्व अर्ज ,त्यांना देण्यात आलेली माहिती व संबधित सर्व पत्रव्यवहार संकेतस्थळावर ठेवायला हवा. परंतू तसे करण्यात आलेले नाही.

त्याचप्रमाणे एका ठिकाणी बारावकर यांना मार्च २०११ च्या अखेरीस By U.P.C अंडर पोस्टल सर्टिफिकेट द्वारे माहिती पाठविल्याचा उल्लेख आहे मात्र डाक विभागाने ३१ जानेवारी २०११ रोजी एका विशेष अध्यादेशाद्वारे ही सुविधा बंद केली होती. आत्ता या टप्यावर मला कोणावरही कोणतेही आरोप करायचे नाहीत . मात्र हा प्रकार गंभीर आहे .म्हणूनच आपण या प्रकरणाची स्वत:च्या स्तरावर आणि सत्वर चौकशी करून या प्रकरणातील सर्व माहिती संकेतस्थळावर ठेवली जाईल असे पहावे . या संदर्भात आवश्यकता पडल्यास संबधित यंत्रणांकडून सर्व दफ्तर मागविण्याचा अधिकार माहिती अधिकार अधिनियमानुसार आपणास आहेत. त्याचा वापर करावा हि विनंती.त्याचप्रमाणे बारावकरांनी मागीतलेली बहुतांश माहिती ही माहिती अधिकार अधिनियमातील कलम ४ नुसार संबधिअत प्राधिकरणांनी स्वयंप्रेरणेने प्रकट करावयाची माहिती आहे.त्यामूळे सदर प्रकारची सर्व माहिती संकेतस्थळावर १२ ऑक्टोबर २००५ रोजीच ठेवणे कायद्यानुसार बंधन कारक होते. त्याचे पालन न केल्याबद्दलही सर्व संबधितांवर कारवाई करावी हि विनंती.