Jaipur, Oct 11 (PTI) A procession taken out by Right to Information (RTI) activists in Rajasthan’s Beawar on Sunday evening was disrupted after some right-wing activists objected to a reference to alleged misuse of donations in Ram temple in Ayodhya, leading to a confrontation and allegations of manhandling.
The incident occurred near Chang Gate during the annual ‘Ghotala Rath Yatra’, organised by Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) as part of events marking 21 years of the RTI Act.
Both sides have lodged FIRs against each other, Beawar City police station SHO Ashutosh Pandey said.
RTI activist Nikhil Dey alleged that right-wing activists stopped the procession and manhandled several participants, including women, while questioning the presence of activists from other states.
However, BJP MLA from Beawar Shankar Singh Rawat alleged that the procession participants were raising slogans against the Ram temple, BJP, RSS and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and hurt the religious sentiments of local residents.
“The activists were raising slogans against the Ram temple, BJP, RSS and Prime Minister Modi. On this, local people confronted them,” Rawat told PTI.
The MLA said he reached the police station after receiving information about the incident. He said that local residents were lodging an FIR over the alleged hurting of religious sentiments.
Dey rejected the allegations, saying no slogans against any religion were raised during the procession. He alleged that the accused persons had raised threatening slogans.
He said the Ghotala Rath Yatra carried posters referring to various alleged scams, including a reference to alleged irregularities in donations to the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“There was nothing against any religion or political party. We have been taking out this yatra every year to raise issues of corruption and scams involving different governments,” Dey told PTI.
He said activists from different parts of the country had gathered in Beawar, considered the birthplace of the RTI movement, for a series of programmes ahead of RTI Diwas on October 12.
“We were peacefully taking out the procession towards Chang Gate when two or three people stopped us, abused us and questioned why people from outside had come here,” he said.
Dey alleged that the activists were stopped again and manhandled by a larger group.
“Women were pushed around and our colleagues were manhandled. Two persons underwent medical examination following the incident,” he said.
He said that the organisers had informed the district administration about the programme in advance.
“Yesterday, we held a dharna against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. Today, we were taking out the Ghotala Rath Yatra and had also planned a cultural programme,” he said.
“If someone disagrees with us, there should be dialogue. This is not the way to deal with disagreement. It is an attack on cultural freedom,” Dey said.
He said that the RTI Act is a powerful tool for exposing corruption and scams, and people should be encouraged to use it.
In a statement, the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) alleged that the procession, which began from Ajmeri Gate, was disrupted near Chang Gate.
The organisation alleged that the protesters raised threatening slogans, manhandled women and assaulted several participants.
It identified Kamal Kumar, Shubham, Kanika Kumari, Nirmala and Sakshi among those allegedly assaulted.
MKSS also alleged that some people followed the participants to the police station, where another activist, Rahul, was assaulted outside the premises.
The organisation demanded action against those responsible and protection for the participants.
Additional Superintendent of Police Anukriti said an argument broke out between some local people and RTI activists during the procession.
She said the situation was peaceful and police were investigating the incident. PTI SDA
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