Think twice before you blow the whistle on someone

Fighting for citizen rights can turn a tad ugly. So it is wise to be on your guard while pointing fingers at something, or somebody. A family of RTI activists had to suffer abuses and assaults when they accused a school of illegal functioning.

Brothers Uday Shankar and Dharmapalya were beaten black and blue by the DJ Halli police on December 16 when they filed an RTI, suggesting the illegal functioning of Amar English School.

They incriminated the school of cheating the government, which even led to the harassment of their 67-year-old mother and 75-year-old uncle.

On May 10, Uday sought details about Amar English School located in DJ Halli, Survey No 4. The response from RTI ran thus: The town planning department had not sanctioned any plan for the construction of any school and there were no details available with the department regarding the school.

However, the school followed its routine, forcing Uday to send out another complaint on December 10.

The brothers sought an RTI response. On December 14, a notice was sent to Anser Pasha of the school, which read thus: It has come to the notice of BBMP, KG Halli sub-division that you have constructed the building premise No 307/1, Survey No 4, Muniramappa Block, DJ Halli.

You are directed to produce the sanction plan immediately within three days, failing which it is presumed the building construction is unauthorised and action will be taken to demolish the building as per KMC Act 1976.

Till December 15, all was well in the activists’ household. Trouble began the day Anser signed the notice. “At 9.45 am, a Hoysala jeep with two constables asked us to accompany them. They said DJ Halli police inspector BV Pradeep wanted to meet us. We said we will follow them in our car, as we are not thieves to sit in their jeep. Around 11.45 am, the inspector came to the station and abused us. He dragged my mother and uncle out of the station and booted her.” The victim, in 2001, was felicitated by the government when her husband was awarded the prestigious Kempe Gowda award for the best dog trainer.

Dharma Gowda said, “They put us in the lock-up for a while and then in a room where we were tied and gagged. The inspector and four other constables started hitting my feet and vigorously dipped my swollen feet into a tub of hot water.”

Uday however escaped torture as he had just recovered from an appendicitis operation. He said, “When they came to hit me, my brother said I would die as I had just been operated.”

Only when the family sought help from the higher ups, they were freed at 2 pm. A complaint was sent to DCP Chandra Shekar and ACP B B Ashok Kumar.

The brothers have now registered a case with the State Human Rights Commission and the DG and IGP who have accepted the complaint and are yet to take any action.