Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Damoh police have arrested an RTI activist for abetment of suicide of a government primary school teacher who immolated himself, officials said on Wednesday. A few more teachers have also come forward and lodged police complaints against the activist for blackmailing them over ‘fake degree’.
On May 15, primary school teacher Rajesh Tripathi set himself ablaze in Hatta town of the district while returning from school. After a week-long investigation, it came to fore that RTI activist Jitendra Bhatt was allegedly threatening and blackmailing him.
Bhatt had allegedly complained to the authorities, claiming that Tripathi had secured his government job using a fake BEd (Bachelor of Education) degree.
Damoh district police superintendent Shrutkirti Somwanshi said that investigations revealed the RTI activist was harassing and blackmailing Tripathi to extort money. After forcing Tripathi to pay him around Rs 7–10 lakh, Bhatt had recently started demanding that the school teacher pay him half of his salary every month, the officer said.
The teacher was financially burdened by mounting debts of over Rs 50 lakh, taken from banks and private money lenders for house construction and monthly payments to the RTI activist. Adding to the pressure were Bhatt’s continued threats to have him sacked from service over the fake degree, which ultimately pushed Tripathi to take the extreme step, the SP added.
Bhatt has been booked under BNS Sections for mentally harassing Tripathi and abetment of suicide.
SP said “At least 5-10 more school teachers - who have been terminated or are facing probe by the authorities for using fake degrees/certificates to get government job - too have approached the police and complained against Bhatt, alleging that he was blackmailing them for a long time and forcing them to pay money running into lakhs of rupees.”
The police are investigating those complaints and more FIRs may be lodged against the arrested RTI activist in the coming days, he added.
More than 20 teachers were his victim
Services of more than 20 government school teachers have been terminated in Damoh district recently after a departmental probe established that they had used fake degrees/certificates to get the job.
In most cases, the complainant was the RTI activist Jitendra Bhatt, who as per the sacked teachers as well as those teachers facing similar probe, was blackmailing them to pay money since last many years.
