Are weblackmailers? In response to Haq Khan''s comment about RTI activists
Are weblackmailers?
In response to Haq Khan''s
comment about RTI activists
Er. Irfan Banka
Srinagar, Publish Date: Feb 14 2018 11:53PM | Updated Date: Feb 14
2018 11:53PM
This is to remind you of your
statement against RTI Activist on the floor of Assembly on 6th of February
2018. You have told the Legislative Assembly that RTI Activists are big
blackmailers which is absolutely condemnable. I along with my associates at J&K
RTI Foundation, am a campaigner of the revolutionary Right to Information Act
(RTI) Act since my first year of Engineering Studies and you have no right to
call me a blackmailer.
In a workshop on RTI at IMPA
organized by Zakat Foundation of India I met Dr. Raja Muzaffar, Dr. Sheikh and
other RTI campaigners. I asked a few questions to Dr. Muzaffar and got familiar
with the act to some extent. After a few months my 3rd Semester examination
result was declared. I was surprised to see only 40 percent marks in my
favorite subject which was quite unacceptable to me. I filed an RTI and asked
for photocopies of answer sheets. No reply was provided and with the help of
Dr. Muzaffar I filed complaint in the Commission. Commission had hearings and
finally a notice for penalty proceedings was issued to the PIO and I was called
by the PIO for a deal. A peon there said, “Don’t leave them, if you are from a
good family, they are very frightened and will provide you anything you ask
for”. This is where I got encouraged; and joined the RTI Movement. I did not
think about my marks and started awareness of RTI in my College. Evaluators had
done injustice with me but I used RTI to teach them a lesson. Now, Mr. Haq,
tell me, am I a blackmailer??
With the help of RTI I am able to
compel the Irrigation Department to construct a flood protection bund within 3
days from the date of filing RTI Application. The village where bund was
constructed was neglected for 15 years and nobody listened to the common man
who is today saying with pride “RTI CHU DEEN and everyone should use it”. The
bund saves five villages from submerging due to floods every year. My work is
to teach people RTI so that they would get empowered and exercise real
democracy. Tell me, Mr. Haq, Should you call me a blackmailer?
My associate is exposing scam of
SBM in the department you are heading. In reply to his RTI Application, the
Rural Development Department personnel say we have recovered 72000 from the
illegal beneficiaries and the amount will be given to the genuine cases. Tell
me Mr. Haq, should you call my associate, who is a BPL category person and is
deprived of his right to government schemes, a blackmailer?
I am helping one of my friends in
drafting an RTI Application and without any reply his result of B. Tech, which
was earlier withheld, is declared; and he is passed. He praises RTI and gets
justice without any face to face contact with PIO. Mr. Haq… should you call my
friend a blackmailer?
The police, which is thought to
be the rudest in its activities by the people, is not acting on my complaint
and I am filing an RTI to obtain its status. In revenge I am harassed, and my
phone is seized off in some fake case. Finally I come out of the problem with
Superintendent of Police’s help and with my friends we start campaigning for
RTI as it encourages us and we find it the only tool in our hands to make the
government accountable. Does it mean we are blackmailers?
Mr. Haq, there bare uncountable
stories on success through RTI and the empowerment of common man; and believe
me, nobody till date could give a single evidence of blackmailing through RTI.
Have you ever thought that the blackmailing is only possible if the government
officials are corrupt…I have personally observed that the PIOs are using RTI
for creating smoothness in their offices! Recently an officer called my friend
to obtain some information from his office through RTI which he could not
provide to the people because of some higher authority orders. RTI is the only
tool in the state that could expose wrong doings in the offices and the
whistleblowers must be appreciated for their acts rather than calling them
blackmailers.
Mr. Haq, now decide who is a
blackmailer? A common man using RTI or a corrupt official who is not allowed to
misappropriate government funds and is hence blaming whistle blowers? I am not
saying that all RTI Applicants are RTI Activists, there may be some who act
indecently; but there is no scope of blackmailing when an honest official faces
an RTI Applicant.
Mr. Haq, my final request to your
good self is to either come with the evidences in support of your statement
against RTI Activists or come clear on the issue!
(The author is Chairman J&K
RTI Foundation)
Also published here:
http://mahitiadhikar.blogspot.in/2018/02/are-we-blackmailers-er-irfan-banka.html
http://www.rtifoundationofindia.com/there-no-scope-blackmailing-when-honest-official-f#.WociX66WbIU
https://www.rtiindia.org/forum/186876-we-blackmailers-irfan-banka-responds-haq-khans.html
http://qoshe.com/greater-kashmir/er-irfan-banka/are-we-blackmailers-/2225952
http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/opinion/are-we-blackmailers/275761.html
https://www.facebook.com/Er.IrfanBanka/posts/1740722595984991
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