RTI activist's killing sets off row in Rajya Sabha

sify 24/02/2011

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) Question hour in the Rajya Sabha ended five minutes before time Thursday following noisy scenes when a Congress MP alleged a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader in Gujarat was involved in the killing of RTI activist Amit Jethva.

Asking supplementaries on a question on the Right to Information (RTI), Congress MP from Gujarat Alka Balram Kshatriya alleged that a nephew of the BJP MP from Junagadh was involved in the killing of RTI activist Amit Jethva.

The allegation led to a huge uproar from opposition MPs. As the protests turned noisy, Chairman Hamid Ansari announced the question hour over at 11.55 a.m., five minutes before its usual time of 12 noon.

Amit Jethva was killed in July last year, a few days after he filed a public interest litigation (PIL) against illegal mining in the protected Gir sanctuary in Junagadh district. He had made Junagadh's BJP MP Dinu Solanki as one of the respondents.

Solanki's nephew Pratap alias Shiva Solanki has been named as one of the prime accused in the illegal mining in the Gir, the last habitat of the Asiatic lions.

Ansari Upset Over Rajya Sabha Members' Behaviour- outlook 24/02/11

Upset over the "unbecoming behaviour" of some members, Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari today abruptly ended the Question Hour five minutes before schedule after Congress and BJP members clashed over an RTI issue.

Trouble began when Alka Balram Kshatriya (Cong) said the Right to Information Act is not being properly implemented in BJP-ruled Gujarat and referred to the arrest of a BJP MP's kin in RTI activist Amit Jethwa murder case.

Soon, members from BJP were on their feet accusing the Congress member of raising non-related issues.

When Kshatriya insisted on her right to ask the question, BJP members including the party's Deputy Leader in Rajya Sabha S S Ahluwalia and Ravi Shankar Prasad objected strongly.

All the while, Congress members Prabha Thakur, Viplove Thakur and Mabel Rebello kept standing in support of Kshatriya and countering the BJP members and further clarifications could not be sought.

As the din continued, an angry Ansari ended the Question Hour.

When some members wanted to know why the Question Hour was being curtailed, Ansari said he was doing so because of the rumpus created by the "unbecoming behaviour" of some senior members.

જેઠવાની હત્યા માટે શિવાએ શૈલેષનો સંપર્ક કરાવ્યો હતો Feb 21,2011

Sandesh Gujarati

અમદાવાદ, તા.૨૦ આરટીઆઈ એક્ટિવિસ્ટ અમિત જેઠવા મર્ડર કેસમાં ક્રાઈમ બ્રાંચે મેટ્રોપોલિટન મેજિસ્ટ્રેટ ડી. એસ. ત્રિવેદીની કોર્ટમાં પુરવણી ચાર્જશીટ રજૂ કરી છે. જેમાં ઉલ્લેખ છે કે, અપહરણના ગુનામાં ફરાર શીવા પચાણે જેઠવાની હત્યા માટે શૈલેષ પંડયાનો સંપર્ક કરાવ્યો હતો. ચાર્જશીટમાં કુલ ૧૫૧ સાક્ષીના નિવેદનો લેવાયાં છે. ક્રાઇમ બ્રાન્ચે રજૂ કરેલા ૪૦૦થી વધુ પાનાની આ પુરવણી ચાર્જશીટમાં મુખ્ય આરોપી તરીકે શાર્પશૂટર શૈલેષ પંડયાને દર્શાવ્યો છે. જેમાં જૂનાગઢના બહાદુર ધીરુભા વાઢેર, પચાણ ગોપાલભાઈ ઉર્ફે શીવાભાઈ દેસાઈ, સંજય ચૌહાણ અને પ્રતાપ ઉર્ફે શીવા સોલંકી સામે ૩૦૨,૨૦૧, ૧૨૦- બી તથા આર્મ્સ એક્ટની કલમ ૨૫ (૧) હેઠળ ગુનો નોંધી તપાસ હાથ ધરી છે. ચાર્જશીટમાં જણાવ્યા મુજબ બહાદુર વાઢેર અને શીવા સોલંકી સૌરાષ્ટ્રમાં ખાસ કરીને ગીરમાં ખાણ વેચાણે લઈ ખનન કરવાનો અને ગેરકાયદે જમીનો રાખી સેલ ફોનના ટાવરો ઊભા કરવાનો ધંધો કરતા હતા. તેમના ધંધામાં આરટીઆઈની અરજીઓ દ્વારા નડતરરૃપ થતા અમિત જેઠવાના મર્ડર માટે તેમણે કાવતરુ રચ્યુ હતું. ત્યાર બાદ બંનેએ જેઠવાની હત્યા માટે પચાણ ગોપાલ ઉર્ફે શીવા દેસાઈનો સંપર્ક કર્યો હતો.

His son fallen, Jethava’s father rises to dare

TheIndianExpress 1 DEC 2010

Bhikha Jethava, father of slain RTI activist Amit Jethava, is now leading a protest against two upcoming industrial projects in Kodinar on the periphery of Gir Wildlife Sanctuary.

Bhikha, a footwear merchant in Khambha village of Amreli district has written a letter to Union Minister of Environment and Forest Jairam Ramesh in this regard.

He has said the Simar Port Ship Yard at Chahara village and

Shapurjee Palonjee Thermal Power plant project at Kaaj village will prove disastrous to wildlife in the sanctuary.

“The Kodinar coastal forest is located under Jamvala forest range of Gir. Nearly 100 Asiatic lions are found on this belt, which will be in proximity to the proposed sites of the two projects. Industrial activities in the area will adversely affect the environment,” said Bhikha.

He said he is yet to get all the details of the projects, but is still raising the issue, as the site selection process is already over.

He added: “I have to take forward the mission that my son started. He sacrificed his life for wildlife and environment conservation. Now I am doing my bit.”

Bhikha is, however, not associated with the Gir Nature Youth Club (GNYC) founded by Amit. In a short span of few years, GNYC has successfully created awareness about wildlife and environment in Saurashtra.

“Amit’s friends and associates are now running GNYC. I have decided to work alone,” said Bhikha.

Amit (32) was shot dead from point blank range opposite the

Gujarat High Court in Ahmedabad on July 20, a few days after he had filed a PIL in the HC against alleged illegal mining activities in the periphery of Gir.

The Ahmedabad Crime Branch has arrested Pratap Solanki, nephew of Junagadh BJP MP Dinu Solanki in connection with the murder.

Slain RTI activist’s aides take his fight to political battlefield

TheIndianExpress 18 oct 2010

Kodinar, where slain activist Amit Jethava led a campaign to create awareness about the Right to Information (RTI), this powerful democratic tool and its use has become an agenda against the BJP in the local body elections slated for October 21.

Jethava’s two close aides, who say they also had to face the wrath of the rich and powerful for exposing corruption in the system, are in the fray for the Kodinar taluka panchayat elections on Congress tickets. And their main election issue: fight for your rights.

If Jethava had used the RTI Act to unearth illegal mining under alleged patronage of BJP MP Dinu Solanki, activists Bhika Gohil and Dipu Wala blew the lid off a scam in a housing scheme for poor and how local authorities of Pashcim Gujarat Vij Limited turned a blind eye to alleged misuse of its infrastructure by the kin of the MP in Kodinar.

According to Gohil, Solanki’s nephew Pratap alias Shiva Solanki — who is presently in judicial custody in connection with the Jethava murder case — had attacked and abducted him when an RTI application by the former proved that towers for cellphone networks installed by the latter were illegal.

Gohil said he was was hospitalised for two months in 2004 following an attack allegedly by Shiva and his supporters, adding that the near-fatal attack on him and the murder of Jethava has only strengthened his will to contest a political battle. “Either we suffer or we fight. That’s the only two options available with us,” said Gohil, who will be contesting from the Mul Dwarka seat.

He has been a Congress worker for over five years now and this will be his maiden election. “I tell voters (while campaigning) that if they will not fight for their rights, nobody will and that they will remain at the receiving end of the corrupt system,” said Gohil, whose wife Hansa is sarpanch of their village Gohil Ni Khan.

The voters might believe the words of this 32-year-old as recently — after he exposed corruption in the Indira and Sardar Aawas Yojana — the directorate of Jilla Gam Vikas Niyamak issued notices against 264 people, including Kodinar taluka development officer M C Makwana.

Dipu Vala (45), a teacher by profession, has also jumped into the fray for the Pipavan panchayat seat. Locals know him as the one who exposed Shiva for allegedly using PGVCL poles for his private cable network.

Little wonder that Jethava has been featuring extensively in the campaigns of Gohil and Vala. “People knew Jethava. And, after his murder, he has become a martyr. We want voters not to let his deeds go in vain,” said Gohil.

A BJP stronghold, winds of change in Kodinar were observed first in 2009 when Congress candidate Dhirsinh Barad won a by-election.

how Dinu Solanki threats people

local leader waves a CD on Junagadh MP’s ‘threat’ call to him

TheIndianExpress 24th August 2010

Dinu Solanki had allegedly called up Koli Sena president this January to warn him

Junagadh BJP MP Dinu Solanki had allegedly threatened to kill the Koli Sena president from Kodinar and had abused his family after the latter reportedly beat up one of his kin. The victim claims to have recorded the MP’s “threat” call.

Solanki has been mired in controversy following the murder of RTI activist Amit Jethava. Solanki's nephew and business partner Shiva Solanki is a suspect in the murder case, and the Ahmedabad Crime Branch has been on his trail for a week now.

“Mari upper bhale 302 thai. Mare ek varash jail ma rehvu pade kai das varash. Haria tu mara thi bachi nahi sake. Tare Kodinar ma rehvu che ne? Tane koi nahi bacahvi sake.(Let me get charged under 302 of IPC. I may get jailed for a year or 10 years. But Haria, no one can save you from me.

Do you want to live in Kodinar? Nobody can save you,” the MP said, according to complainant Haresh Damania.

Damania said the MP used abusive and foul language against his family members. “Solanki had been threatening me saying I have beaten up his sister's son Hiteshsinh. When he called up on January 25, 2010, I recorded the conversation.”

“First, I went to Kodinar police, but they did not take my complaint. I then approached the SP office, but no action was taken on my application,” Damania added.

With the help of sitting Kodinar Congress MLA Dhirsinh Barad, the tape was played before then State Home Minister Amit Shah, but nothing happened, he alleged.

In the last eight months, two cases have been registered against Damania – one of loot and the other of hampering peace.

Barad said: “As the local police did not act, I took the tape to the then home minister Amit Shah, but no action was taken. Leave alone the local police, even the state government refused to take any complaint against Solanki.

Solanki was unavailable for comment.