Girish Prasad Gupta

RTI Activist

Bihar

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on May 6, 2020 regarding fabricated charges, illegal arrest and torture of Mr. Girish Prasad by public authorities. Mr. Prasad is an RTI activist and human rights defender.

On the night April 15, 2020 a team comprising Dr. Nishant Kumar – SDO, Tehara, Mr. Parmanand Pandit – BDO, Teghra, Mr.Aditya Vikram – CO, Teghra, Mr. Lalan Kumar – Animal Husbandry officer, Mr.Sumant Chowdhary – SHO Phulwariya and other policemen visited the house of 75-year-old Mr. Prasad. Policemen physically assaulted and arrested him. They also assaulted his wife and children, who tried to resist his arrest. He was taken to the Phulwariya police station, where he was beaten up and tortured for two hours , and forced to sign on blank papers. He was implicated in a false case and charged under Sections 188 and 353 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and policemen asked him to withdraw all pending RTI petitions. He was released later on a personal bond, but his pictures thereafter showed bruises and multiple injuries on his body. Deputy Superintendent of Police Mr. Kundan Kumar denied torture allegations before the media.