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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Slain activist’s dad points finger at MP

Slain activist’s dad points finger at MP

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published Published on Jul 22, 2010   modified Modified on Jul 22, 2010


The father of slain RTI activist Amit Jethwa, who was shot dead by two motorcyclists near Gujarat High Court last night, has accused Junagadh MP Dinu Solanki of plotting his son’s murder and demanded a CBI inquiry.

Amit, 33, had been running a campaign against illegal mining in the Gir forest that his father claims was controlled by Solanki.

“Two years ago, Solanki threatened me on the phone, telling me that he would kill my son if he continued to campaign against the mining. He had also threatened my son many times in Khamba and in Kodinar in public in front of a huge crowd,” Bhikabhai Jethwa said.

Jethwa alleged that the BJP MP had got his son thrashed by hired goons two years ago and that Kodinar police had refused to file a complaint against four men that Amit had identified as his assailants.

Solanki could not be reached for comment.

For over three years until 2007, Amit had lived at Solanki’s MLA quarters in Gandhinagar. Solanki, a relative of Gujarat finance minister Vajubhai Vala, was elected MP in the 2009 general election.

Bhikabhai Jethwa said he did not know why the two fell out. But Amit’s friend and advocate Vijay Nangesh said: “Their interests were bound to clash.” Solanki was in the illegal mining business that Amit was campaigning against, he said. The slain activist had been able to force Kodinar police to register a complaint against the mining mafia through an RTI much against the wishes of the BJP MP, Nangesh claimed.

Senior BJP leader Devang Nanavati said: “The incident is shocking and needs to be probed. But at the moment there is no material evidence to indicate the involvement of the BJP MP.”

The Gujarat Bar Association today passed a resolution saying litigants are not safe in the state and sent a copy signed by over 350 advocates to the chief secretary and the director-general of police. Association president Yatin Oza said since Jethwa has accused an MP of the murder, the state government should hand over the inquiry to an independent agency.

A former government employee, Amit had resigned from his job to pursue wildlife conservation and had set up the Gir Nature Youth Club, of which he was founder president. He had recently filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court against illegal mining in the Gir forest region.

Apart from being an environment and wildlife crusader — he came into the limelight when he filed a chinkara poaching case against actor-producer Aamir Khan during the shooting of Lagaan — Amit had turned an RTI activist and was using the law to dig out information about the unlawful activity of businesses and government officials, fellow RTI activist Harinesh Pandya said. This had cost him his life, Pandya added.

Following a PIL filed by Amit, Gujarat High Court had last month directed the state government to appoint a Lokayukta. Acting on another of his petitions, the high court had directed the state government to fill vacant posts of information commissioners in the Gujarat Information Commission.

Congress legislature party leader Shaktisinh Gohil endorsed Bhikabhai’s demand for a CBI probe, saying Amit was a well known RTI activist who had taken on people connected with the ruling party involved in illegal mining in Gir.

But some high court advocates who knew Amit alleged that “not all his PILs were filed in the public interest. They were dubious”. For example, they questioned the motive behind a PIL challenging the promotion of an official in the forest department.

Only yesterday, he had filed a Special Criminal Application against Ambuja Cement even after a lower court had rejected this petition and fined him Rs 3,000, sources said.

Bhikabhai said his son had shifted base to Ahmedabad only eight months ago to earn money, but did not explain how.


The Telegraph, 22 July, 2010, http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100722/jsp/nation/story_12712613.jsp
 

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