Yet another RTI activist comes under threat cloud in Bangalore

A right to information (RTI) activist says he is getting threating calls for filing a complaint against a minister.

Only last week, an RTI activist and police informer Lingaraju, 50, was hacked to death for passing information to Lokayukta on disproportionate assets (DA) in posession of Azad Nagar corporator Gowramma. Lingaraju was killed by goons.

In the latest case, state police officials themselves are said to be threatening Dinesh Kallahalli, an RTI activist, for filing a complaint against law minister S Suresh Kumar with the Bangalore Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).

Based on his complaint, an FIR has been registered against four state intelligence officials.

In the complaint, Dinesh said that the officials of intelligence including additional director general of police (ADGP) Gopal Hosur called and threatened him for filing a complaint against Suresh Kumar,

The other accused in the case are intelligence officials Siddhappa, Shivakumar and Ramesh.

The FIR was registered under the following sections:
l Section 195 - Giving or fabricating false evidence with intent to procure conviction of offence punishable with imprisonment for life or imprisonment.

l Section 217 - Public servant disobeying direction of law with intent to save a person from punishment or property from forfeiture. * Section 506 - Punishment for criminal intimidation,

l Section 507 - Criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication, read with IPC 1860, section 24 and 26 of Indian Telegraphic Act-1885, U/s SC/ST Prevention of Atrocity Act.

When DNA contacted RP Sharma, he refused to reveal the details.
Gopal Hosur’s mobile phones remained switched off.
The law minister too did not respond to our  calls.

The case

The BMTF had registered an FIR against Suresh Kumar, former housing minister Krishnaiah Shetty, and chairman and managing director of HUDCO VP Baligar who was principal secretary to former chief minister BS Yeddyurappa.

They were accused of illegal de-notification of land.

Petitioner Dinesh Kallahalli alleged that Suresh Kumar had misused his position to de-notify a land measuring 4 acres and 20 guntas in survey no 9/2 in Laggere village, Yeshwantpur.
It belonged to Gopinath. The notified land was handed over to the slum clearance board for construction of houses for slum dwellers.

The complainant also accused Krishnaiah Shetty and Baligar for their role in de-notifying the land by joining hands with Suresh Kumar. Admitting the complainant, BMTF had registered case against the accused under several sections of prevention of corruption act and Indian Penal Code.