It is not disturbing that an RTI applicant not responded under the Right to Information Act, 2005. Then he resorted to force the country to Satya Graha, but he was allowed to die after fast unto death.
Whether a ‘death’ after ‘fast unto death’ can be called a ‘suicide’? If the ‘death’ is connected to corruption and irregularities in Government Officers, can any be punished for ‘abetment to commit suicide’? Any way it is can be described as murder, though not in fact. Who is responsible to the death of Devki Nandan Sharma, ‘after hunger strike’ for four months.
A 60-year-old Devki Nandan Sharma died after going on a hunger strike for four months against alleged corruption. He was demanding an investigation into the work done during the tenures of four ex-pradhans of the village.
He has already collected proof of documents that show correspondence with different Government Departments from 2012 till he took his last breath. He had 160 page-document. None cared to respond. From the Block Development Officer to the President, has no time to answer, or he might have explained that it was not reached, or not properly posted or somewhere it must have been lost, etc. Nobody can claim that we are in Ram Rajya about his silent death.
Daily from the Lucknow edition of Indian Express reported that Devki Nandan started the hunger strike at a temple, which is part of his house, on February 12. He had a 16-year-old daughter and his wife.
Devki Nandan Sharma was a resident of Shankar Garhi village in the district of Mathura Mant tehsil. Devki Nandan had been on a crusade over the last 13 years against alleged financial irregularities in rural development work in the village, such as the construction of toilets under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Interestingly, the post-mortem report said the cause of death was a heart attack. Almost every death is explained by all doctors or police officers who claim that the cause is a heart attack. When the police recorded it, it may not be possible to ascertain the real cause of death. Why don’t the Government Departments concerned dare to say, that RTI has proven death or say ‘abetted death’ by voluntarily facilitating the end of life?
This is the ‘Swatch Bharath’
He questioned the wrong deeds in works commissioned under ‘Swatch Bharath Kishan’. It was associated with the construction of Toilets, where corrupt officers shared as part of their share. He used the Right to Information (RTI) Act frequently to get access to different documents. In a country that believes that Satyameva Jayate (only truth wins victory) some media persons, not the police nor doctors, can safely state that RTI is the cause of ‘death’. This was reported by a chartered engineer in Ghaziabad, Jitendra.
Using RTI to disturbing
There is no wonder, that the Government officers and PIOs under the Right to Information Act, he was threatened for disturbing the officers with frequent RTI questions. People used to describe it that questioners strike with RTI!
His wife Sudha Sharma explained: “All these months during the hunger strike, he was only consuming water or lemon water and smoked bidis. He grew weak and couldn’t speak. But the officials did not care. On June 10, they came to my home and pasted a letter threatening legal action if he did not end the strike”.
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A notice a letter to ‘fast unto death’!
The SDM passed on to the temple where he was Fasting about. Devki Nandan Sharma, who passed away in Mathura District, while Fast till Death seeking investigation and action for corruption in his district, on Friday, June 14, 2024.
Courtesy: Photo from Abhinav Saha of Indian Express
She said further: “He was very stubborn. He lost everything in fighting for the village all these years. He even sold his five bighas of land for social work. He did not leave anything for me. I do not know how I will survive now with my daughter”.
Sudha supported their husband in running a kirana store in the village part-time.
The son of a UP Irrigation Department engineer, Devki Nandan moved to his village from Mathura city after his father’s death, said: he loved this village and wanted to see its development. Initially, he would get agitated and that led to many disputes.
Dr M Sridhar Acharyulu, LL.D. MCJ. Former Central Information Commissioner, Professor of Law, Mahindra University, Hyderabad.
