Many Right to Information Act (RTI) activists, including policemen, have been harassed and even murdered for seeking information to "promote transparency and accountability in the working of every public authority" in India. Many face assaults on a regular basis. People seeking information from their gram panchayat and the local administration also face social ostracism. A few activists who sought information under RTI about scams related to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, were killed. Many threats and attacks (including murder) go unreported by the media.
Media reports of more than 300 instances of attacks on or harassment of citizens and at least 51 murders and 5 suicides can be linked to information sought under The Right to Information Act. Maharashtra followed by Gujarat tops the list for states with the most attacks on RTI users.
Overview RTI activists are vulnerable human rights defenders (HRDs) in India. Unlike other HRDs, a majority of the RTI activists are not part of an organisation; they often act alone, moved by anger at corruption and other illegal activities. RTI activists are vulnerable because they live in the same areas as public authorities and political leaders who do not want information about their activities to be disclosed. For the most part, human rights defenders receive media attention only when killed or seriously injured. When complaints are made by RTI activists, law enforcement personnel (who often work with corrupt officials) do not take appropriate action . The Right to Information Act, 2005 provides inadequate protection to whistleblowers. The Central Information Commission and the State Information Commissions are not mandated to deal with such threats or attacks or to provide protection when needed. Attacks on RTI users have not ceased despite directions from several information commissions and state governments to protect them from harm.
List of attacks There are two sources of crowd sourced lists maintained of the attacks on people using RTI to seek transparency and accountability, primarily based on media reports. The first is via the National Campaign for People's Right to Information. A "Hall of Shame" is maintained by CHRI.
Killed/Murdered NameStateDistrict / LocationDateAttack typeNature of ActivismSudhir ChaudharyGujaratTapi2024KilledDevjit SinghUttar PradeshAligarhGattu Vamana Rao and his wife NagamaniTelanganaPeddapalli2021-02-18Murdered by KnifeRTI filed for land issue, more details waiting for the culprits.Ranjan Kumar DasOdishaKendrapara2020-02-01KilledRegularly filed RTIs on local issues, including brick kilns. Sanjay DubeyMaharashtraMumbai2019-05-20MurderedFiled RTI regarding illegal construction and PIL in High court against a politician.Chirag PatelGujratAhmadabad2019-03-16KilledObtaining information regarding MPLAD.Vinayak ShirsathMaharashtraPune2019-02-12MurderedFiled RTI regarding illegal construction.Bhola SahBiharBanka2018-12-23KilledExposed financial irregularities in Social Welfare schemes.Manoj TripathiMadhya PradeshBhopal2018-11-02Fall from buildingRTI filed. Complaint against powerful leader.Rohit Ashoke JunawareMaharashtraPune2018-11-01KilledConstruction related information.Kedar Singh JindanHimachal PradeshSirmaur2018-09-07KilledExposed various jobs related scam.Parshuram PradhanOdisaSambhalpur2018-08-27KilledExposed corruption in cooperative societiesValmiki YadavBiharJamui2018-07-01KilledExposed various corrupt practices in Panchayat level programme.Rajendra Prasad SinghBiharEast Champaran2018-06-21KilledExposed Several corruption in police recruitment, PDS, toilet scheme, health and education scheme through his RTI application.Jayant KumarBiharVaishali2018-04-04KilledExposed corruption in Bihar State Food Corporation. Collected information regarding corrupt practices by policeman and politicians.Nanjibhai SondarvaGujaratRajkot2018-03-09Clubbed to deathFor filing RTIs to expose financial irregularities in the developmental works undertaken in a villageMirtyunjay SinghBiharBhojpur2017KilledMukesh DubeMadhya PradeshMoraina2017-09-26Stabbed to DeathExposed corruption in PanchayatsMd TahiruddinWest Bengal2016-11-19MurderedExposed MGNREGA scams in Gram Panchayat of Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, disseminated Information to job card holders, whose bank accounts were used for withdrawing money in name of fake projects. He was working under the organization PACT Org as a volunteer, it is an organization working in the field of Transparency and anti-corruptionLalit MehtaJharkhand2008-05-15KilledMehta used RTI to expose NREGA related scams. Fought for the social audit of NREGAKameshwar YadavJharkhand2008-06-07KilledSought information on the nexus among officers, politicians, contractors and middlemen in NREGA related irrigation projects in Deori.VenkateshKarnataka2009-06-04Satish ShettyMaharashtraPune2010-01-13KilledWhistleblower RTI activist Satish Shetty killedArun SawantMaharashtra2010-01-02KilledArun SawantVishram Laxman DodiyaGujarat2010-02-11KilledShashidhar MishraBiharBegusarai2010-02-14KilledRTI activist shot dead by criminals in Begusarai districtSola Ranga RaoAndhra Pradesh2010-04-11KilledVitthal GiteMaharashtraAurangabad2010-04-21KilledRTI activist killed in group clash in BeedDattatraya PatilMaharashtraIchalkaranji2010-05-22KilledDuo arrested for murder of 47-year-old RTI activist in Mumbai←Gopal PrasadBiharBuxar2010-07-19KilledAmit JethwaGujaratAhmedabad2010-07-20KilledGujarat: RTI activist Amit Jethwa shot deadUsed RTI to expose illegal mining in the Gir Forest area. Dinu Boga arrested by CBI in this case. Earlier Gujarat police had given clean chit to Dinu Boga.Vijay Pratap (alias Babbu Singh)Uttar Pradesh2010-07-25KilledRamdas GhadegaonkarMaharashtra2010-08-27KilledNiyamat AnsariJharkhand2011-02-03KilledExposed corruption by contractors in work under MNREGA.JagdishHaryana2011-10-02Attempt to killJagdish and Phool Singh, another resident of his village, unearthed a pension scam and subsequently filed a case of alleged fraud against the accused in the court. The Village Head tried to kill him, but only managed to crush his legs and killed his daughter-in-law Sonu.Amit KapasiaGujarat2011-12-29KilledShehla MasoodMadhya Pradesh2011-08-16KilledDr. Murlidhar JaiswalBiharMunger2012-03-04KilledRahul KumarBiharKatihar2012-03-11KilledRajesh YadavBiharGaya2012-12-12KilledS BhuvaneswaranTamil Nadu2012-10-01KilledNadeem SaiyedGujarat2011-05-11Killed (reason possibly unrelated)Ramvilas SinghBiharLakhisarai2011-08-12Killed (reason possibly unrelated)V BalasubramanianTamil Nadu2010-08-19Killed(?)Premnath JhaMaharashtraMumbai, Virar2012-02-25KilledFiled several RTI queries with the Vasai Virar Municipal Corporation seeking details of several construction projectsVasudeva AdigaKarnatkaUdupi2013-01-12KilledRam Kumar ThakkurBiharRatnauli, Muzaffarpur2013-03-23KilledLawyer; Persisted with a legal case exposing "irregularities" in the implementation of NREGA welfare scheme in his village. Earlier, used RTI and exposed fraud involving sarpanch (village head).Sanjay TyagiUttar PradeshMeerut2014-05-25KilledShivshankar JhaBiharSaharsa2014KilledSandeep KothariMaharashtraNagpur2015-06-19 till 2015-06-21Strangled and then burned to deathExposed illegal sand mining and land grabbingSurendra SharmaBiharMasaurhi2015-04-03KilledGopal TiwariBiharGopalganj2015KilledRamakan SinghBiharRohtas2016KilledRamesh AgarwalChattishgarhRaigarh2012-07-07ShotVinayak BaligaKarnatakaMangalore2016-03-21Hacked to death
Abducted/Kidnapped and Tortured NameStateDistrict / LocationDateAttack typeNature of ActivismAnoop SinghUttar PradeshNoida, Dankaur TownDecember 2013Abducted and TorturedAn RTI activist was abducted from Dankaur town in Gautam Budh Nagar district on 13 December, burnt with cigarette butts on his private parts and beaten with iron rods before being dumped near a petrol pump in a neighbouring district four days later.
Assault NameStateDateAttack typeNature of ActivismYashwant ShindeMaharashtraJan 2020Physical assault Shinde had sought details under RTI on Worli police's seizure of Rs. 4 crore in cash from a car during state assembly elections. Sambhuram BishnoiRajasthanOct 2013Abduct and Assault with hockey and iron rods in his village sarpanch's house while going for aadhaar card enrollment and killedExposed MNREGA, Sajal Dhara tubewell scam against his village sarpanchAdv. Mohd. Hasim ShaikhMaharashtra5 Jan 2014Assault with Hockey and Iron rods in the late evening when going towards home, got major injuries and also got finger fractured, the assaulters took away the cell phone and a wallet.Exposed License scams in BMC and also got Penalized officers of BMC by State Information Commissions, working as an alert and active citizen, associated with various citizens group.Rinku Singh RahiUttar Pradesh26 Mar 2009Assaulted, removed to a mental institution.Rahi is a bureaucrat who used RTI to expose welfare scheme fraud in MuzaffarnagarFiroz Ibrahim KhanMaharashtra17 Nov 2007AssaultGopalbandhu ChhatriaOdisha2 Jan 2009AssaultRipu Daman OhriPunjab6 Jan 2009AssaultMunikrishnaKarnataka27 Oct 2009AssaultAjay KumarDelhi1 Jan 2010AssaultUsed RTI to enquire about private house/shop construction on public land under authorization given by a Delhi politician.Kiran PandeyPunjab1 Oct 2010AssaultSumaira AbdulaliMaharashtra16 Mar 2010Assault (in 2003 at Kihim Beach and 2010 at Mahad)File RTI OnlineRAJEEV SARKAR alias RAJIB SARKARWEST BENGAL20 July 2015Assault (in 2015 at Baguati and 2016 at Baguiati and arrest by false case 2017)Abhay PatilMaharashtra4 Jan 2010AssaultAshok Kumar ShindeMaharashtra17 Jul 2010AssaultBudhai KumarUttar Pradesh8 Sept 2010AssaultS Channabasappa PatilKarnataka9/16/10AssaultYashwant GavandMaharashtra1 February 2011AssaultArun Baburao ManeMaharashtra1 February 2011AssaultSalman ReddyOrissa1/17/11AssaultSafdar AliJammu and Kashmir1/20/11AssaultVikrant KarnikMaharashtra1/25/11AssaultAmar PandeyUttar Pradesh1/27/11AssaultGopal Prasad, Anil Mittal, Nanda SawantDelhi2 March 2011AssaultMangala RamRajasthan3 March 2011AssaultBharat Guggul, Bhanji JogenGujarat3 May 2011AssaultVishnu MedhkarMaharashtra4 February 2011AssaultDilip JaiswalMaharashtra4 May 2011AssaultArvind KaushalMaharashtra4 August 2011AssaultPopat BargeMaharashtra4/17/11AssaultJai Bhagwan and KarambirHaryana5/21/11AssaultIsmail PatwariMaharashtra5/27/11AssaultC.P. SinghMaharashtra6/22/11AssaultBaghu DewaniGujarat6/24/11AssaultGanasham KunkolkarGoa7/22/11AssaultJaisukh BambhaniaDaman and Diu8 August 2011AssaultSanjit DasMeghalaya8/14/11AssaultAjay AmbaliaGujarat8/31/11AssaultParshuram Kishanlal MaliGujarat9 July 2011AssaultManisha GoswamiGujarat9/21/11AssaultMehul KatariaMaharashtra10 July 2011AssaultSantosh M TiwariMaharashtra, Gujarat10/16/11AssaultPoonam SolankiGujarat12 February 2011AssaultAkhilesh SaxenaUttar Pradesh2008AssaultParameswar SabarOrissaJune 2011AssaultNiren Pareek, Christopher MinzAssamMay 2007AssaultTapal GaneshKarnatakaUnknownAssaultPurshottam ChauhanGujaratUnknownAssaultNarayan HarekaOrissaUnknownAssaultAkhil GogoiAssamUnknownAssaultSumit Kumar MahatoJharkhandUnknownAssaultMs. Poonam SolankiGujarat12 July 2011AssaultHuman Rights ActivistDudhramRajasthan, Jaipur2 February 2012AssaultAkhil GogoiAssam, Nalbari5 July 2012AssaultRajesh suresh BobadeMaharashtra21 September 2012AssaultL.K.ThapliyalUttarakhand25 July 2013AssaultBeaten up by a group of men including a ranger, Devendra Baurai from the Chilawali range of Rajaji National Park. Mr L.K. Thapliyal had filed a RTI against Rajaji National Park.Anand Kumar SharmaOdisha11 Feb 2018Assault, Illegal detention by police and illegal custody by SDJMBeaten up in police station with grievous injury as he exposed the corruption in Police Department.NilofarUttar Pradesh26 October 2018AssaultExposed corruption against gram pradhan.Sunil KapoorHaryanaApril 2018Thrashed by masked assailantsSocialKrishanpalUttar pradesh15 May 2019AssaultExposed illegal possession in government land.