A former corporator and his son were on Monday arrested in connection with the murder of a 72-year-old RTI activist, known for his battle against land mafia and encroachers, even as the police suspect the killing to be the fallout of a land dispute.
RTI activist Bhupendra Vira, who had exposed encroachers and unauthorised constructions in and around Kalina in the city, was shot dead at point-blank range on Saturday night when he was watching TV at his residence in suburban Santacruz.
Strong reactionsThe murder sparked strong reactions from anti-graft campaigners, saying Maharashtra has become a dangerous place for whistleblowers with as many as 11 activists having been killed in the State in the last 10 years.
“Amjad Khan (53) and his father Razzaq Khan (78) were arrested in connection with the case. Razzaq was earlier a corporator in Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. It looks like a land dispute led to the Khans killing Vira,” Mumbai Deputy Commissioner of Police Ashok Dudhe told PTI.
The duo were arrested after Vira’s family members gave their names in the complaint, police said.
The two were later produced in a local court which remanded them in police custody till October 24.
Vira had filed some applications against the alleged illegal construction and land grabbing by Razzaq Khan, police said.
Razzaq, an ex-corporator of the Congress from Santacruz, had got an order from Lokayukta for demolishing four illegal properties in the area on Vira’s complaint, hours before the activist’s murder, sources said.
Police are now investigating whether this order led to the murder of the RTI activist, an officer said.
“We are investigating this fact also,” he said.
Vira was staying as a tenant at the ‘Razzaq chawl’.
Notably, Maharashtra has recorded the highest number of attacks and murders of RTI activists since this Act came into force in 2005.
11 killed in 10 yearsAs per data collected by Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, at least 60 RTI activists were attacked, harassed and 11 killed in Maharashtra in the last 10 years.
Most applications filed by RTI activists are to seek information on land and illegal construction activities.
The cases of murder of RTI activists include that of Satish Shetty, who was killed at Talegaon Dabhade in Pune in January 2010 for exposing land scams on Mumbai-Pune Expressway.
According to reports, another activist Vasant Patil was stabbed 23 times and killed in Mumbai, while one Abrar Shaikh was murdered in Bhiwandi.
RTI activists from across the city demanded justice for Vira, even as the opposition parties took potshots at the BJP-led government alleging that the law and order situation in the State was deteriorating. — PTI
