After spending two days and a night in the Arthur Road Jail, 11 RTI activists were released on Thursday on personal bond.

Krishnaraj Rao, GR Vora, Mohammad Afzal, Sunil Ahya, Vijay Chauhan, Mukund Parekh, Sanjay Ghatalia, KN Singh, Pramod Kadam, Ravi Kiran Haldipur and Dr Shrikant Prabhu were arrested for “unlawful assembly and tresspassing” after a protest organised by them took an ugly turn on Tuesday at state chief information commissioner Suresh Joshi’s office.

Their arrests have created a stir among other activists. Central information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi termed the action excessive. “I do not know what happened, but from the reactions of Joshi, I don’t think that the situation was riotous. I feel there was an excessive action by police.

“People keep protesting and look for innovative and creative ways to do that. But as long as the protests are peaceful and do not paralyse the working of the administration, they should be accepted as protest,” he said.

Activists like Bhavesh Patel, who heads Bhrashtachar Viorodhi Jan Andolan run by Anna Hazare, said that the reason for such protests should be looked at more closely.

“RTI Act is not implemented properly and we are getting a lot of complains from all over Maharashtra,” he said. “Anna Hazare will meet the chief minister this week. The arrests will be discussed during the meeting.”

Terming the action “a bit harsh”, activist Medha Patkar said, “Singing the national anthem can be considered a form of Satyagraha. Officials should understand that there is increasing frustration amongst people over the manner the the Act is being implemented. Officials are wasting time and not giving information.” Activists said they want action against people who refuse to give information.

When asked if the actions were appropriate, Suresh Joshi said, “This was the third time that they behaved badly. But the last straw was when they sang the national anthem in an unruly manner. The court too has taken a very serious view of their behaviour.”