The four children eagerly waited for the tinkle of their father's cycle bell signalling his return home, little realising that the next time they see him, it would be with a bullet in his head.
The four children eagerly waited for the tinkle of their father's cycle bell signalling his return home, little realising that the next time they see him, it would be with a bullet in his head.
Slain RTI activist Shashidhar Mishra's story is among various other heart-rending incidents that were narrated at Anna Hazare's protest by the families of whistleblowers, who were killed while fighting corruption.
"The children still ask for their father. They are yet to come to terms with their father's loss. I feel proud that he died fighting corruption, but I also feel really disappointed that the government instead of bringing the people behind his killing to justice is, in fact, shielding them," said Anita, Mishra's wife.
35-year-old Mishra, a street vendor, was shot dead by unknown assailants near his house in Phulwaria village, near Bihar's Begusarai town in 2010.
"He had worked tirelessly to expose corruption at the panchayat and block levels. He filed his first RTI application in 2008 and by the time he died he had filed more than 1,000 RTI applications," said Anita. Mishra's wife is not alone in her grief.
23-year-old Satish Kumar was purportedly run over by a vehicle carrying sand from a river bed in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelvelli district when he tried to block its path along with 20 villagers.
14 days on, his family is still waiting for the post mortem report.
"They might have detained two or three persons but the racket is much bigger than that. This issue is not isolated. It is taking place in several states in the country and it is to prevent further such incidents that I stand here today," said Prabhu, Satish's brother.
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