It is high time that the govt took threat to us seriously: Activists

Activists fighting for accountability and transparency in public life are under serious threat in the state.

The attack on Arun Mane, an RTI activist from Talegaon, should serve as a reminder to the government to extend security cover to such public-spirited people. Mane was attacked by people who were opposed to his campaign for a clean public distribution system (PDS) in the Talegaon area.

Six such activists have been killed in the state in recent times and several threatened with dire consequences by vested interests.

"It is high time the government took the matter seriously. Activists are working in public interest in areas where the government is not. What has happened is terrible. The police should know where the threat is coming from. We cannot have 24X7 protection like politicians and we do not want that," said Sumaira Abdulali, who recently wrote a letter to the state government reminding it of the promise to work on their security.

The high court had taken suo motu cognisance of such attacks. The Mumbai police had assured the court that it would form a committee to assess the threat perception to each activist.

"They were supposed to form a committee. I wonder what happened to it? The trend is sending a wrong signal. If the police do not crack down on culprits, the attacks will only increase," said Nayana Kathpaliya, who was attacked last year and has been provided with security.

"We understand that they cannot provide guards to everyone but they should look into complaints. In my case, they insisted that I name the person who threatened me. I said it could be a local politician. Is it not their job to find that out?" said Aftab Siddiqui.

The attack on Mane comes less than a year after another activist Satish Shetty was murdered. The police have made no headway in the case.