Karnataka RTI activist murder case: Family alleges police failure

Bengaluru: The family of late RTI activist Murthy. R, who was hacked to death recently in Bengaluru, has held the Karnataka police department responsible for his murder.

Meanwhile, the RTI Activists’ Forum has warned that they would stage a protest condemning the attacks on RTI activists in the state.

Murthy, a resident of Kuruballidoddi village, near Kanakapura town, located close to Bengaluru, was found bludgeoned to death in the last week of December. Murthy collected details of the civil works carried out under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the village and filed a complaint with authorities. The authorities have visited the village to probe his allegations.

The police had arrested three persons in connection with the murder of Murthy. Shantamma, Murthy’s mother alleged that even as the police were informed about her son being threatened for exposing corruption at panchayat level, no action was taken.

She maintained that her son was given life threats and police failure to provide security for her son resulted in his murder.

Shantamma has alleged that the police are not taking up the probe transparently. The name of the influential leader behind the murder has been dropped. The government should take up the investigation in this matter and give justice to the deceased son.

V. Hanumantarayappa, the president of the RTI activists Forum urged that all accused in connection with the murder of Murthy should be arrested and one of his family members should be given a post.

The forum is organising a protest at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru in February condemning the attacks on RTI activists in the state, he said.