RTI activist murdered in Jodhpur

Jodhpur, Oct 8: A 35-year-old RTI activist was allegedly murdered by a sarpanch and his family members in Phalodi area of the district.

"An FIR has been lodged against Jaisal village sarpanch Sodha Ram, his brothers Manohar Ram and Jagmal, two sons Satpal and Ugrasen and cousin Radha Kishan in connection with the murder of activist Shambhu Ram Bishnoi yesterday," SP Rahul Prakash said.

Three accused have been detained and searches are on for the sarpanch and two others, he said. According to sources, Right to Information (RTI) activist Bishnoi had gathered information about irregularities by the sarpanch and his family members, leading to an inquiry by Rajasthan Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Apparently angry with the revelation, the sarpanch and his aides assaulted Bishnoi last evening. "Bishnoi had gone to apply for Adhar Card at a camp at the Gram Panchayat office at Jaisal village in Phalodi on Monday evening.

When he came out, the sarpanch and his aides took him to a nearby place and beat him up mercilessly with rods and sticks," said Bishnoi's brother Bhanwar Lal.

When people gathered in the area, the assailants fled from the place. "We rushed him to the MDM Hospital in Jodhpur, where he succumbed to his injuries late in the night," he said.

A post-mortem was conducted today and the family members have refused to take possession of the body till the sarpanch is arrested. "We will not take the body unless the accused are arrested," said Bhanwar Lal.

PTI