From Robby Sharma dated-27-10-2008
865, Block-B, Panki
Kanpur-208020
Uttar Pradesh, India
Mobile 0-9235844258;0-9415438326.
To All the friends working for the RTI cause in particular and for removal of Corruption from the Country as the larger goal.
Subject: False FIR No.378 of 2008, filed against me in Panki Police station of Kanpur on
the directions of the Dainik Jagran Newspaper group Owners.
Dear friends
As you are aware that I have been trying to protect the Parks, green areas and other heritage of the City of Kanpur in particular and the State of U.P. in general.
The Owners of the Dainik Jagran group of Newspapers entered in to a conspiracy with the Kanpur Development Authority Vice Chairman N. N. Prasad in 1999 and with the help of the then Minister Lalji Tondon, managed to grab a five acres Land of the Biggest Cremation Ghat of Kanpur, i.e. Bhairon ghat, which had been given by the British for plantation of Ornamental flower Plants and Herbal Plants to guard and protect the Sanctity of the Cremation Ghat.
Thereafter a beautiful Herbal Garden came in to existence on the Site and was known as Ayurvedic Garden. In the Master Plan of Kanpur made and enforced in 1970,the entire Land including the existing Elgin Mills Bungalows was reserved for the purpose of Cremation Ghat /Ayurvedic Garden green area.
In 1999 the then Vice Chairman , N, N, Prasad handed over the Garden to the Dainik Jagran people and they constructed a Multiplex Known as RAVE-3.At that time the K.D.A V.C concealed the Master Plan Status of the Land from everyone including the State Government Officers and even the District Collector also and allotted it to the Jagran people for Cinema halls/Multiplex.
How three Picture Halls and entertainment Complex as well as Shopping Complex could be built on the Cremation Ghat. It is only the greed of the Jagran group owners that resulted in the happening of the blasphemous activity on the Resting place of the dead.
Therefore actually a F.I.R should be lodged against the Jagran Owners, N.N. Prasad, Lalji Tondon and other officers of the Awas Department who connived in the crime against the City of Kanpur and the trust of the Citizens.
I filed a writ Petition No.20999 of 2002 in the Allahabad high Court seeking directions for demolition of Rave-3 Multiplex and for restoration of the Ayurvedic Garden on the site.
In 2002 itself they made attempts to buy me and having failed they threatened to have me murdered ,this they did through their Land Mafia crony friend Ramji Tripathi, who runs a illegal Tripathi Guest House as well as two market Complexes in Panki and for the last decade or so has been running them by stealing electricity also directly from the pole.
In 2003 this very group managed to get allotted a fully developed Park No.831 in Panki –B, Block for a College in the name of Sri parade Ram-lila Society and cut off about two thousand fully grown Trees and sold off Timber worth about fifty Lakhs Rupees. I filed another Writ Petition No.30203 of 2003 in Allahabad High Court praying for restoration of the Park.. Again I was threatened to be killed by Ramji Tripathi against whom I gave complaint letters in July-2003 to Panki Police Station but no action was taken.
In 2008 after the coming in to force of the Right to Information Act-2005, I got many documents from the Fire Department and Kanpur Development Authority which will help me in the cases in High Court. It came to light by the documents that the Rave-3 Multiplex had been operational from 2001 to August-2007 although the Fire Department of Kanpur had repeatedly declared it unsafe from Fire Safety point of view. It was and is Operational without the mandatory Completion certificate of Kanpur Development Authority and as against the permitted construction of 30% covered area for Commercial Purposes, they are using 67 % for this purpose., the Map was cancelled in January-2001 and the Compounding Map has also been cancelled.
Similarly Rave@ Moti has also been constructed Illegally in Residential Area and is Operational without the Mandatory Completion certificate.
In order to put pressure on me They have through Ramji Tripathi given a false complaint against me in beginning of May-2008, through a person of Scheduled Caste, one Ram Singh Sweeper, whom I have never met nor do I know him but it is alleged that I took two thousand rupees from him and promised him employment in Nagar Nigam and thus cheated him and then threatened to kill him when he demanded the money back.
I along with other RTI volunteers met the Commissioner, D.M, S.S.P. Kanpur and held a press Conference after which the Bureau Chief of the Dainik Jagran, one, Sanjeev Mishra, called the RTI volunteer friend Kuldeep Saxena to the Dainik Jagran Office and told him that either Robby Sharma should take back his cases from the High Court or they will phone the Panki Police Station In charge and have me arrested. All this matter was brought to the notice of the Commissioner, the D.M, the S.S.P and I.G. as well as the DGP and the Chief Minister in May/June.
Friends of the RTI fraternity helped me a lot and due to the efforts of the Senior Journalist Bobby Ramakant, the international media, Seoul Times, Thai Indian News, News Blaze etc high lighted the story as well as Assam Times.
Now tonight a Police Constable again came to my House and told me that the Case against me has been registered as F.I.R No.378 of 2008.This has as you all know been done due to the tremendous influence both political, media and money power of the powerful owners of the Dainik Jagran Newspaper.
The Police in the first instance was very considerate and saw the complaint as a totally false one, the Complainant did not even know my name properly and mentioned it wrongly in the Complaint, the complainant Ram Singh is Illiterate and got the Complaint written by one Subodh, again a person I do not know who said he was with Ram Singh when I threatened him (Ram Singh).
Therefore the stage is set, a Complaint has been filed against me alleging serious charges, by a person ,whom I do not know, Who himself does not know my correct name yet he claims that he gave me money (full two thousand rupees out of fifteen thousand demanded by me)to get him a Government Job, there is a witness Subodh again somebody I know nothing about.
There is a new S.S.P in Kanpur one Mr Hari Ram Sharma, whom I have not met till now. I am writing below the extract from Seoul Times of South Korea ,dated-18-may-2008.:-
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Kanpur Land-Sharks Intimidate RTI Activist by Fabricating False Charges
By Bobby RamakantAsian Correspondent
Land-mafia in Kanpur in connivance with officials of Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) have slapped false fabricated charges against an Right-to-Information (RTI) campaign leader - Roby Sharma.
Roby has been spearheading the RTI campaign in Kanpur since past two years now, exposing corruption and championing people's causes across the city.
Roby had filed a RTI application seeking the information from the KDA and Fire Department officials on how many multi-storey buildings are following the fire-safety norms setup by them, and how many of these buildings have obtained a no-objection certificate from the fire department.
Roby had further asked under the RTI Act that under which government order, are the private guest houses and businesses conducting commercial businesses in residential localities.
Also in Panki region of Kanpur, a 'ramleela' park was allotted to build a private school. Roby had filed a RTI application seeking to know under which government order have the allotment been made.
Due to the connivance of land-mafia with KDA officials, there are many such instances of illegal and unauthorized land grabbing across the city of Kanpur.
KDA has not given a response to many previous RTI applications of Roby and the hearing of these cases are currently undergoing in State Information Commission (SIC) of UP.
Also media has been colluding too! A leading city newspaper owns two major multiplexes - Rave three and Rave five - both of which are functioning without a no-objection certificate from Fire department. The bureau chief of this newspaper Sanjeev Mishra had threatened another acquaintance of Roby to 'stay away from Rave' related cases. The bureau chief also threatened the acquaintance to get Roby arrested and 'rot in jail for rest of his life.'
When Roby Sharma went for a hearing in the office of KDA's Secretary Hemant Kumar Singh, another senior KDA official Mahaveer Singh had verbally abused him and threatened of dire consequences if 'Roby doesn't stop seeking information.'
"RTI Act is a much-heralded public interest constitutional policy empowering the citizens and bestowing them with their fundamental right to information in the democratic India. But rampant corruption, malpractices and nexus between the 'powerful' and mighty and authorities are posing a huge challenge to the committed RTI champions like Roby Sharma" said Mahesh Kumar, another leading RTI activist in Kanpur.
The activists today met the district magistrate of Kanpur who assured them of taking action.
(Author is a senior journalist and can be contacted at: bobbyramakant@yahoo.com)
I once again request you all to please help and support me in this hour of need
Thank You All
Robby Sharma
865,Block-B, Panki Kanpur-208020
Uttar Pradesh India
Mob.0-9235844258;0-9415438326.
Copy to the concerned for their help through Sri Mahesh Pandey..
Monday, October 27, 2008
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